ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animals: Clones

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make it her policy to prohibit the sale of food from cloned animals and their descendants; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: Food from cloned animals is currently regulated under the EU Novel Food Regulation and must be approved before it can be marketed. There have been no applications in any EU member states to authorise food from any cloned animals.
	The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the European Food Safety Authority have advised that, for cattle and pigs, current evidence suggests that meat and milk from healthy clones or healthy descendants of clones is as safe as that from traditionally bred animals. The Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes reached the same conclusion on 25 November 2010.
	The Government's position is that a ban or temporary suspension on the sale of food from cloned animals and their descendants would be disproportionate in terms of food safety and animal welfare.
	The Government consider that EU welfare legislation is sufficient to deal with any welfare issues that may arise for the clone or the surrogate dam.

Animals: Clones

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what scientific evidence she has assessed on the effects of cloning on animal  (a) health and welfare and  (b) death rates for (i) cloned animals and (ii) surrogate mothers that carry them to birth; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: The Government have assessed the 2009 report by the Commission's European Food Safety Authority and its update report published last year, which considered all aspects of animal cloning.
	The Government recognise the potential welfare concerns highlighted in the 2009 report. However, we consider that EU welfare legislation provides the necessary protection to address any welfare issues that may arise for the clone or the surrogate dam. We also believe that the UK welfare codes and the breeding industry's positive attitude towards animal welfare provide a sound basis for the future.

Automatic Urban and Rural Network

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what review  (a) process and  (b) criteria her Department plans to use to decide which monitoring stations will be included in the Automatic Urban and Rural Network from 2011; and what opportunities for independent scrutiny of the process there will be;
	(2)  what review  (a) process and  (b) criteria her Department plans to use to decide which monitoring stations will be included in future reports to the European Commission on compliance with the EU limit values for ambient air quality from 2011; and what opportunities for independent scrutiny of the process there will be.

Richard Benyon: A 5-yearly assessment of the Automatic Urban and Rural National air quality monitoring network will be undertaken in 2011 in accordance with the requirements of the Air Quality Directive (AQD) (2008/50/EC), as set out in Articles 5, 6 and 7. The directive defines the steps to be undertaken in the process and the criteria on which assessment needs to be based. Once the review has been completed this will define the assessment regime to be used for compliance reporting for the next five years.
	Where appropriate, local authorities will be engaged in the review. The outcome of the review will be reported as required to the Commission and will be made publically available.

Biofuels

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research her Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the effects of biofuel production on grain costs.

James Paice: In 2010 DEFRA published a report on the causes of the 2007-08 agricultural price spikes, which included an annex: "The role of demand for biofuel in the agricultural commodity price spikes of 2007/08". This report is available at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/food/security/price.htm
	Additionally, in 2008 DEFRA published the report "The impact of biofuels on commodity prices", reviewing the existing research on the impact of biofuels on commodity and food prices. This report is available at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/evidence/series/documents/impact-biofuels-commodities.pdf

Bovine Tuberculosis: Cattle

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had on the spread of bovine tuberculosis among cattle; and what proposals she plans to bring forward to prevent any further such spread.

James Paice: Tackling bovine TB is a key priority for the Government, and Ministers continue to have regular discussions about how to halt the spread of TB amongst cattle and bring the disease under control.
	We received a large number of responses to our consultation on a badger control policy, which we are considering carefully. We will announce our decision and publish a comprehensive and balanced bovine TB eradication programme for England as soon as possible.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Cattle

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of vaccinating cattle against bovine tuberculosis; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: Cattle vaccination is a potential long-term option for helping to control bovine TB and could have benefits in reducing the risk of infection and onward transmission of disease. However, a vaccine cannot guarantee that all cattle will be fully protected against TB and is therefore unlikely ever to be suitable for use as a sole eradication strategy. In addition, evidence suggests that without addressing the problem in the badger population, it will not be possible to eradicate TB in cattle.
	DEFRA has invested around £18 million into the development of a cattle vaccine and associated diagnostic tools. There are still significant technical and regulatory challenges to overcome before a cattle vaccine would be available for widespread use. This includes the need to change EU legislation. We therefore anticipate that a cattle TB vaccine could not be used in the field before 2015 at the earliest.

Carbon Emissions

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions  (a) she and  (b) Ministers in her Department have had with their counterparts in (i) the Department for Energy and Climate Change and (ii) the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the introduction of regulations to require mandatory carbon reporting by businesses by April 2012.

James Paice: The Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my noble Friend (Lord Henley), has had discussions with the Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Gregory Barker), and the Minister for Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Mr Davey), on the matter of corporate reporting of greenhouse gas emissions by businesses. The Secretary of State has not had discussions with these Ministers on this issue.

Farmers: Local Enterprise Partnerships

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to encourage farmers to participate in local enterprise partnerships; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are locally-led organisations and it is for them to determine how best to work with local business interests, including representatives of the farming sector. In early engagement with some of the newly-formed LEPs, DEFRA officials have discussed how they might work with farmers. I would encourage all farmers, in particular through their representative groups, to engage with LEPs and we are aware that some are already doing so.

Food: Waste

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the level of avoidable food waste in the domestic food supply chain.

Richard Benyon: The Waste and Resources Action Programme's (WRAP's) report, "Waste arisings in the supply of food and drink to households", published in March 2010, suggested that further work is required to identify the avoidable waste generated in the manufacturing, distribution and retail stages. However in this report WRAP estimated that the value of food and drink waste in supply chains is £5 billion annually.

Horses: Passports

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2011,  Official Report, columns 1218-19W, on horse passports, whether the 1.3 million equine passports currently issued matches  (a) her Department's and  (b) independent estimates of the UK equine population.

James Paice: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 10 March 2011,  Official Report, column 1219W. As of 31 December 2010 the National Equine Database (NED) held records for 1,275,317 equine passports issued in the UK. The British Equestrian Trade Association's National Equestrian Survey 2005-06 estimated the horse population of Great Britain to be 1.3 million. Direct comparisons between the two data sets are not possible.

Horses: Passports

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2011,  Official Report, columns 1218-19W, on horse passports, for how long she plans to extend the current contract with National Equine Database (NED) Ltd; what plans she has for the future of  (a) NED and  (b) horse passports; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: DEFRA is proposing to extend the contractual arrangements with the National Equine Database Ltd by a period of 18 months to allow time for a thorough review of the Government's requirements in respect of horse passports and associated data.

London Air Quality Network

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the London Air Quality Network monitoring stations at  (a) Brent (Neasden Lane),  (b) Bexley (Erith),  (c) Ealing (Horn Lane) and (d) Lambeth (Bondway Interchange) will meet the criteria for the assessment of air quality set out in Annex III of EU Directive 2008/50/EC.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA has not carried out a review of whether the air quality monitoring stations the hon. Member refers to meet the assessment criteria of Directive 2008/50/EC. These monitoring stations belong to the local authorities and are used for the purposes of local air quality management.

London Air Quality Network

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what annual mean concentration of PM10 particulates  (a) before and  (b) after adjustment for natural sources her Department's time extension reapplication in May 2010 predicts for the calendar year 2011 at the London Air Quality Network monitoring stations at (i) Brent (Neasden Lane), (ii) Bexley (Erith), (iii) Ealing (Horn Lane) and (iv) Lambeth (Bondway Interchange).

Richard Benyon: The UK's 'time extension' notification was made in accordance with the assessment criteria in annex III of the directive 2008/50/EC. The four London Air Quality Network monitoring stations referred to-Brent (Neasden Lane), Bexley (Erith), Ealing (Horn Lane) and Lambeth (Bondway interchange)-are not part of the UK's national compliance network and therefore no calculations with respect to natural sources have been undertaken for data from these monitoring stations by DEFRA.

Modulation Payments

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the proportion of modulation payments collected in the UK which were spent in the UK in the latest period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: The table shows the proportion of compulsory modulation payments collected and spent in the UK. Compulsory modulation applies across EU15 member states and its allocation is subject to an allocation key which ensures that at least 80% of the receipts are allocated to the member state in which it is collected. The table shows the amount of compulsory modulation deducted from UK direct payments between 2009 and 2012 and the corresponding amounts allocated to rural development programmes.
	Voluntary modulation applies only in the UK, and all receipts are allocated to the programme for the region of the UK in which the voluntary modulation is collected.
	
		
			   2009-10  2010-11  2011-12  2012-13 
			 Modulation (€ million) 238.3 271.0 304.7 338.1 
			 Allocation (€ million) 204.1 236.9 270.6 304 
			 Percentage retained 86 87 89 90 
			  Notes: 1. Over the period the UK retains 88% of its modulated funds, which is above the minimum threshold that requires at least 80% of modulated funds to remain with the member state in which they were generated. 2. The calculations are made with a lag of one year to reflect the fact modulated funds are allocated to rural development programmes the year after they are modulated.

Recycling: Plastics

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to encourage the recycling of plastics.

Richard Benyon: The majority of plastic waste is generated in three areas: End-of-Life Vehicles, Construction and Packaging.
	A target for recycling vehicles applies under the End-of-Life Vehicles (Producer Responsibility) Regulations 2005, which is currently set at 85%, and due to rise to 95% from 2015. Last year, a new facility was opened in Worksop processing the plastic content of automotive shredder residue with the help of a £1 million grant for business investment.
	DEFRA has developed the Windows Sustainability Action Plan which contains a target for the collection and recycling of PVC in the Construction sector. The Site Waste Management Plans Regulations (2008) and the Waste and Resources Action Programme's 'Halving Waste to Landfill' commitment have helped to encourage waste prevention and recycling in the construction industry.
	In 2009 24% of all plastic packaging was recycled but more needs to be done to increase this rate. Much of this material is valuable and there are a range of end markets for it. The current review of waste policy is looking at what steps should be taken to further encourage the recycling of plastic.

Waste Management

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has made an assessment of the contribution of more effective management of food waste to reducing water use in each of the last four years.

Richard Benyon: The Waste and Resources Action programme has recently published a report, produced jointly with the World Wildlife Fund, entitled "'The Water and Carbon Footprint of Household Food and Drink Waste in the UK". This report finds that the water footprint of avoidable food waste in the UK is 6,200 million cubic metres per year, representing nearly 6% of the UK's water requirements. In per capita terms, this is 243 litres per person per day, approximately one and a half times the daily average household water use in the UK.
	A quarter of this water footprint represents water used to grow and process food here in the UK, i.e. water from the UK's rivers, lakes and aquifers. The report includes case studies that illustrate the water footprint of three food products (wheat, tomatoes and beef) and two countries from which the UK imports food (Spain and Brazil). By preventing food waste from arising, these water-impacts can be avoided.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Beer: Competition

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to promote  (a) employment and  (b) economic growth in the brewing and public house sector.

Mark Prisk: The Government are supporting employment and growth in business generally and manufacturing in particular, including the brewing industry, by introducing more predictable and lower corporate taxes; cutting through the unnecessary red tape and regulation; increasing access to finance; and focusing on training and apprenticeships to ensure specialist skills are in good supply.
	The brewing industry, like other business sectors, will benefit from a package of measures announced as part of Budget 2011 to promote growth in manufacturing, such as changes to capital allowances; helping firms commercialise technology; the development of a new degree-equivalent Higher Level Apprenticeship; and nine new university based centres for Innovative Manufacturing.
	The public house sector will also benefit from government support that offers practical help on those issues that concern all businesses, such as taxation, regulation, and access to finance and on the challenges facing small businesses in particular, such as planning, business rates and access to broadband.

Business: Regulation

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether there is a time limit within which Government Departments must identify a regulation for removal following the introduction of a new regulation under the one-in, one-out rule.

Mark Prisk: One-in, one-out is measured on the net cost to business flowing from regulations, not on the number of regulations. The identification of ins and outs happens in parallel across Government. Outs must be a sufficient reduction in net cost to business to counter any new net cost to business created by the in. These figures need to be sufficient and accurate at the point of the final impact assessment for the in to ensure that the net costs to business from the in are fully offset by the proposed out.
	Departments are allowed to 'bank' any reduction in the net cost to business from outs that are identified and implemented but which have not yet been used to compensate for an in.

Business: Regulation

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on how many occasions his Department has consulted representatives of small and medium-sized businesses in Mid Derbyshire constituency on the effects of proposed new regulations since his appointment.

Mark Prisk: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has launched 34 written consultations since May 2010. These are available for viewing on the Department's internet site at:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/Consultations
	BIS seeks views on these from businesses from all regions and of all sizes, including those of small businesses. The specific information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Plants

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has spent on indoor and outdoor plants and trees since his appointment.

Edward Davey: During the period May to September 2010 the Department spent £7,638.50 (exclusive of VAT) with our foliage suppliers, contracts which originally started in September 2003. The Department ended its foliage contracts with effect from 30 September 2010.
	During the 2009-10 financial year, spend was as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Plantforce 20,511.53 
			 PHS 1,350 
			 Fleurtations 3,308.60

Departmental Public Bodies

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the change in function of the British Hallmarking Council;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Advisory Body;
	(3)  what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the Union Modernisation Fund Supervisory Board;
	(4)  what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property;
	(5)  what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of SITPRO Ltd;
	(6)  what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the eight Regional Development Agencies;
	(7)  what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts;
	(8)  what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the Local Better Regulations Office;
	(9)  what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the Hearing Aid Council;
	(10)  what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the Copyright Tribunal;
	(11)  what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of Consumer Focus;
	(12)  what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of British Shipbuilders;
	(13)  what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of British Nuclear Fuels Limited;
	(14)  what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Arbitration Tribunal;
	(15)  what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the merging of Postcomm and Ofcom;
	(16)  what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the merging of the Competition Commission and the Office of Fair Trading;
	(17)  what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the merging of the Central Arbitration Committee and the Certification Office.

David Willetts: On 16 March 2011,  Official Report, columns 9-10WS, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), issued a written ministerial statement updating Parliament on progress on public bodies reform. That statement also announced that Departments estimate cumulative administrative savings of at least £2.6 billion will flow from public bodies over the spending review period.
	The following table sets out estimated cumulative net administrative savings from structural reforms to BIS's public bodies over the spending review period.
	These are our best current estimates of net administrative savings and are dependent upon factors such as the individual timetables for implementation-many of which require the Public Bodies Bill and subsequent secondary legislation.
	
		
			  Public body reform  Estimated cumulative net administrative savings over the spending review period 
			 Change in function of the British Hallmarking Council £48,000 
			 Abolition of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Advisory Body £40,000 
			 Abolition of the Union Modernisation Fund Supervisory Board No savings to the Exchequer 
			 Abolition of the Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property No savings to the Exchequer 
			 Abolition of SITPRO Ltd £1.9 million 
			 Abolition of eight regional development agencies £727.7 million 
			 Abolition of the Local Better Regulation Office £560,000 
			 Abolition of the Hearing Aid Council No savings to the Exchequer 
			 Abolition of Consumer Focus Potential savings not yet quantified 
			 Abolition of British Shipbuilders £52,000 
			 Abolition of British Nuclear Fuels Limited No savings to the Exchequer 
			 Abolition of the Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Arbitration Tribunal No savings to the Exchequer 
			 Merger of Postcomm and Ofcom Potential savings not yet quantified 
			 Merger of the Central Arbitration Committee and the Certification Office £650,000(1) 
			 (1) We do not expect the overall budget for the new organisation to change In real cash terms over the SR period. The savings identified above reflect static cash spend when measured against estimated inflation. 
		
	
	We estimate that annual savings from the merger of the Competition Commission and the competition functions of the Office of Fair Trading would be between £3.5 million and £6.8 million, with a best estimate of £5.1 million, but that there would be a one-off transitional cost for which our best estimate is £6.8 million.
	We intend to change the status of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts so it is no longer a non-departmental public body, and establish it as an independent charity. While financial savings were not the driver for this change in status, it is likely to lead to some savings, though they have not yet been quantified.
	We are considering changing the status of the Copyright Tribunal so that it is no longer a non-departmental public body, and jurisdiction of the tribunal is moved into the Ministry of Justice's Tribunals Service. Any potential savings have not yet been quantified.

Departmental Theft

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what items with a value of over £100 have been taken without authorisation from his Department since his appointment; and what steps have been taken to recover such items.

Edward Davey: During the period May 2010 to March 2011 the Department's records show that four prints were reported as lost or stolen with an estimated total value of £5,500. After investigation three prints with an estimated value of £4,000 were recovered.

Diamond Resorts International

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many representations the Secretary of State has received from hon. and right hon. Members in the last three years on the operation of Diamond Resorts International; and what the purpose was of each such representation.

Edward Davey: holding answer 28 March 2011
	 The Department has received 20 representations from hon. Members since the beginning of 2008. Correspondents have sought to draw the Government's attention to, and to seek help or advice in respect of timeshare contracts which their constituents have entered into, and the way in which Diamond Resorts International seek to enforce them.

Employment Rights

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people worked on the enforcement of employment rights and related protections in the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate in each of the last five years; how many people he expects to work on such matters in that body in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: The number of staff working on enforcement of employment rights and related protection in the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, on 1 April for each of the last five years, were:
	
		
			   Staff 
			 2006-07 19 
			 2007-08 19 
			 2008-09 19 
			 2009-10 30 
			 2010-11 28 
		
	
	No formal allocations have been made for the next financial year or beyond.

Training: English Language

John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how much his Department allocated for English for Speakers of Other Languages courses in 2010-11; and how much it plans to allocate in 2011-12;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the potential effect of changes in funding for English for Speakers of Other Languages courses on adult and community learning;
	(3)  what assessment his Department has made of the effect of financial barriers on participation in English for Speakers of Other Languages courses;
	(4)  whether his Department has undertaken an equality impact assessment on proposed changes to funding for English for Speakers of Other Languages courses.

John Hayes: In the 2010-11 academic year we introduced increased freedoms for Further Education colleges and training organisations giving them increased flexibilities to determine the balance and mix of the provision they offer and the route through which this is delivered.
	Building on this, Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth (November 2010) confirmed that from the 2011/12 academic year there will be a single adult skills budget. This allocation can be used to support the delivery of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision, but there is no separate allocation of funding for ESOL.
	As part of the spending review tough decisions about departmental budgets have been taken and, like all other areas, FE has made its contribution. This has included reviewing the extent to which automatic fee remission for adult skills is provided, and in this context we have prioritised ESOL funding to unemployed people in receipt of jobseekers allowance or in the employment and support allowance (work-related activity) group, where English language skills have been identified as a barrier to entering employment. We will continue to pay 50% of ESOL course fees for other people who are settled here. We will no longer fund ESOL courses delivered in the workplace. Increased freedoms and flexibilities for providers will allow them to respond to the needs to their communities and determine within their funding where this is prioritised.
	The equality impact assessment published alongside Skills for Sustainable Growth (November 2010) found that, at the aggregate level, there are unlikely to be disproportionate impacts on protected groups. A separate assessment of how the changes may affect ESOL learners is currently being carried out by my Department, and I expect to be able to publish the assessment in due course. A review of informal, mainly unaccredited, adult and community learning (IACL) is also currently underway, with implementation of any changes beginning in the 12/13 academic year.

Training: English Language

John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people in receipt of  (a) housing benefit,  (b) working tax credit,  (c) income support,  (d) council tax credit and  (e) pension credit are enrolled in English for Speakers of Other Languages courses with (i) full and (ii) partial fee remission provided by his Department.

John Hayes: We collect information on learners who receive full fee remission for any government funded learning they undertake. We do not collect information on learners who have received partial fee remission. From this data, we can identify learners who have received full fee remission due to being in receipt of working tax credit, income-based state benefits and pension guarantee credit. Information for those in receipt of housing benefit, income support and council tax credit is not directly recorded in the system.
	From this data we can provide some information on learners in receipt of a range of benefits but this should be used with caution given it neither provides an accurate picture about the level of learners who are also benefit claimants nor what other learning and or benefit entitlements that person might also have.
	Table 1 as follows shows the number of adults participating on an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) course who received full fee remission due to being in receipt of working tax credit, income-based state benefit and pension guarantee credit. Data are shown for 2009/10, the latest year for which full-year data are available.
	
		
			  Table 1:  N umber of adults participating on ESOL courses who were in receipt of full fee-remission due to being in receipt of working tax credit, income-based state benefit and pension guarantee credit 2009/10 (near-final data) 
			   Total 
			 In receipt of working tax credit 27,490 
			 In receipt of an income-based state benefit 36,290 
			 In receipt of pension guarantee credit 1,330 
			  Notes: 1. This data covers participation in Learner Responsive, Apprenticeships, Train to Gain, Adult Safeguarded Learning and University for Industry provision. Further Education/Learner Responsive provision includes General Further Education Colleges including Tertiary, Sixth Form Colleges-Agricultural and Horticultural Colleges and Art and Design Colleges, Specialist Colleges and External Institutions. 2. Volumes are rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Figures for 2008/09 onwards are not directly comparable to earlier years as the introduction of demand led funding has changed how data is collected and how funded learners are defined. More information on demand led funding is available at: http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/datadictionary/businessdefinitions/Demand+Led+Funding.htm  Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on participation on ESOL courses is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 27 January 2010:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current

TRANSPORT

Coastguards: Scotland

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what requirements have been put in place in respect of lone working at  (a) Fife Ness coastguard station and  (b) other coastguard stations in Scotland.

Michael Penning: There is no expectation that staff working at a maritime rescue co-ordination centre will be in a situation where lone working is necessary.

Coastguards: Scotland

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vacancies there are for watchmen at Fife Ness coastguard station.

Michael Penning: As of 28 March 2011 there are six vacancies at the Forth Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre; two are for coastguard watch assistants, three for watch officers and one for a watch manager.

Commission for Integrated Transport

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what  (a) costs will be incurred and  (b) savings will be made from abolishing the Commission for Integrated Transport in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13, (iv) 2013-14 and (v) 2014-15.

Norman Baker: The exact costs and savings from abolishing the Commission for Integrated Transport (CfIT) will depend on the nature of the successor arrangements which are developed. We currently estimate that the abolition of CfIT will result in projected savings over the spending review period (2011-12 to 2014-15) of around £3.9 million from net administration savings, compared with the baseline of the last full year of CfIT in 2009-10.

Departmental Public Bodies

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of Cycling England.

Norman Baker: On 16 March 2011,  Official Report, columns 9-10WS, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), issued a written ministerial statement updating Parliament on progress on public bodies reform. That statement also announced that departments estimate cumulative administrative savings of at least £2.6 billion will flow from public bodies over the spending review period.
	I refer the right hon. Member to my answer of 28 March 2011,  Official Report, column 86W. This is our best current estimate of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of Cycling England.

Departmental Responsibilities

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what functions and responsibilities have been transferred from his Department and the non-departmental bodies responsible to him to other bodies since 11 May 2010;  (a) from and  (b) to whom the functions and responsibilities were transferred in each case; and what transfer of funds was made in each case.

Norman Baker: There have been no functions and responsibilities transferred from the Department for Transport and its non-departmental public bodies since 11 May 2010.

Great Western Railway: Electrification

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to take steps to increase line speeds on rail services between Swansea and Cardiff.

Theresa Villiers: The route between Cardiff and Swansea contains various characteristics which impact on journey times, including a number of curves, gradients and low speed junctions. Many of these would be difficult to address without major engineering work. There are no plans for such work to be carried out in the current control period which ends in 2014.
	However, the electrification of the Great Western Main Line and the delivery of the new train fleet will reduce journey times for passengers between Swansea and London by 20 minutes to two hours and 39 minutes from the end of 2017.
	This journey time saving will benefit passengers in Swansea and enhance the attractiveness of the area for inward investment.

Heathrow Airport: Railways

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has considered the merits of including a direct link to Heathrow airport in Stage 1 of the proposed High Speed 2 scheme.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 29 March 2011
	The report provided to Government by HS2 Ltd on options for a direct link to Heathrow considered the case for such a link both as part of an initial London-West Midlands line and as part of a Y-shaped national high speed rail network. This report is available online at:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/pi/highspeedrail/proposedroute/routesupplement/pdf/routesupplement.pdf
	The Government's proposed strategy is set out in the consultation document, High Speed Rail: Investing in Britain's Future, available on the HS2 consultation website at:
	http://highspeedrail.dft.gov.uk/library/documents/consultation-document

High Speed Two

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what basis households and businesses along the proposed High Speed 2 route were selected to receive a letter from HS2 Ltd notifying them of forthcoming roadshows.

Philip Hammond: HS2 Ltd posted letters to residents and businesses within 1 km either side of the proposed line of route and within 250 metres either side of the proposed tunnels. Letters were sent to all of the households and businesses in post code areas intersected by these 'corridors' around the proposed route.

High Speed Two

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many households along the High Speed 2 route were sent a letter by HS2 Ltd dated 2 March 2011 in respect of roadshows.

Philip Hammond: HS2 Ltd sent letters to 172,174 households and business premises.

High Speed Two

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to his Department was of  (a) printing the High Speed 2 (HS2) personalised envelopes sent to households along the proposed HS2 scheme route,  (b) printing the letters sent to households along the HS2 scheme route and  (c) postage for the letters sent to households along the HS2 route in order to notify inhabitants of the forthcoming roadshows.

Philip Hammond: The information requested is as follows:
	The cost of printing 172,174 envelopes was £4,470;
	The cost of printing 172,174 letters was £4,403;
	The cost of posting 172,174 letters was £28,716.54

High Speed Two: Costs

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the projected costs the Government will incur on the High Speed Two programme in each of the next five years.

Philip Hammond: The 'Economic Case for HS2', available on the HS2 consultation website, sets out the Government's estimates of the overall costs of both its proposed Y-shaped high speed rail network, and the proposed initial London-west midlands phase.
	For the four years from 2011-12 to 2014-15, the spending review settlement includes approximately £773 million to fund the development of the Government's proposals for a high speed rail network from London to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.
	Subject to the outcome of the current consultation, annual expenditure over the spending review period is currently estimated to be as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2011-12 166 
			 2012-13 213 
			 2013-14 140 
			 2014-15 255 
		
	
	Expenditure in years of 2014-15 will be dependent on the results of future spending reviews.

High Speed Two: Manpower

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people are employed by HS2 Ltd; what roles they undertake; and what remuneration they receive.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 29 March 2011
	As of 25 March 2011, HS2 Ltd had 28 permanent members of staff. A further 27 people were seconded to HS2 Ltd, including 18 from the Department for Transport. In addition, HS2 Ltd had 21 people on temporary contracts.
	Roles occupied by the above include route engineers, operations specialists, project and programme planners, economists, communications and consultation officers, environmental specialists and support staff in finance, human resources and administration.
	The remuneration of the chief executive is published on the DfT website as part of the Government's transparency agenda and can be found at the following link:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/about/staff/salarydisclosure/
	Permanent members of staff are remunerated on salary scales that were established on the basis of an independently conducted market survey. In addition to salary, employees may opt to join a stakeholder pension scheme in which HS2 Ltd matches employee contributions up to a maximum of 5%.
	Secondees are remunerated on the basis of their host organisation structures.
	Temporary staff are remunerated by their respective agencies on rates that are established through central Government procurement contracts.

Members: Correspondence

Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to reply to the letter of 9 February 2011 from the hon. Member for Hastings and Rye on the Hastings to Bexhill link road.

Norman Baker: holding answer 7 March 2011
	I can confirm that my response to your letter dated 9 February 2011 was dispatched on 25 March 2011.

Network Rail: Contracts

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate has been made of the savings Network Rail will make as a result of widening the pool of suppliers involved in infrastructure work in  (a) 2010-11,  (b) 2011-12,  (c) 2012-13,  (d) 2013-14 and  (e) 2014-15.

Theresa Villiers: Network Rail is tasked to deliver the value for money needed to meet the output and efficiency targets for the operation, maintenance and renewal of the national network set by the independent Office of Rail Regulation.
	The contractual arrangements for infrastructure work on the railway are commercial matters between Network Rail and the infrastructure companies. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for a response to her question:
	David Higgins
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	Kings Place
	90 York Way
	London
	N1 9AG.

Railways

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken to ensure that the High Speed Rail consultation roadshow locations are held  (a) in accessible venues and  (b) at times of the day likely to maximise public participation.

Philip Hammond: HS2 Ltd carefully considered the placement of events along and around the proposed line of route; 30 events are being held over 40 days, specifically including areas where HS2 Ltd was aware of significant interest in the proposals. Ease of accessibility from the surrounding areas was prioritised, so that the events could be attended by as wide a community as possible. Event locations were discussed and agreed with local councils.
	HS2 Ltd has organised two types of event, according to the location and locally available facilities. Exhibitions are being held in areas with a large catchment area and where an adequately sized venue was available. Smaller trailer exhibitions are being held where it is not physically possible to hold an exhibition, or where there is likely to be a lower level of attendance. This aims to provide reasonable equality of access to information between urban and rural locations.
	To ensure that the road shows are available to a wide range of people with different work schedules and commitments, they are opening for 12 hours on weekdays, beginning at 8 am and closing at 8 pm. At weekends road shows will be open between 9 am and 5 pm.

Railways: Fees and Charges

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the potential savings to the public purse from allowing train operating companies to have flexible regulated rail fares;
	(2)  what financial saving there will be to his Department from allowing train operating companies to have flexible regulated rail fares in each year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Theresa Villiers: The previous Government decided to remove the 5% flexibility for one year. The underlying contracts are unchanged. Reversion to the normal arrangements does not therefore involve a saving to the Government.

Railways: Rolling Stock

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what financial provision his Department has made for the cost of the private finance initiative project for Intercity Express Programme trains in  (a) 2010-11,  (b) 2011-12,  (c) 2012-13,  (d) 2013-14 and  (e) 2014-15.

Theresa Villiers: The costs of the payments made to Agility Trains under the Intercity Express Programme for all of those years will be zero. Payments will only be made to the train service provider once the trains have entered revenue-earning service, from 2016.

Thameslink Railway Line: Finance

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what financial provisions his Department has made for private finance initiative contracts for Thameslink for the period after 2014-15; and what proportion this constitutes of his Department's provision for private finance initiative projects in that period.

Theresa Villiers: Provision has been made within the Department for Transport's forward forecasts for delivery of the full 24 train per hour railway, including the leasing of up to 1,200 new rail vehicles.
	Thameslink is not classified as part of the private finance initiative. Network Rail is constructing the infrastructure and the Department is procuring rolling stock through a form of leasing arrangement.

Thameslink Railway Line: Finance

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's budget for Thameslink is for each year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Theresa Villiers: The costs for the infrastructure element of the Thameslink Programme are included in the payments made to Network Rail in the form of a Network Grant which covers the capital investment of all renewals and enhancements.
	With respect to the Department's direct programme costs and incremental franchise change costs for Thameslink, financial provision has been made as shown in the following table.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2010-11 70 
			 2011-12 84 
			 2012-13 62 
			 2013-14 107 
			 2014-15 111

JUSTICE

Fraud: Jobseeker's Allowance

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people resident in Airdrie and Shotts constituency were prosecuted for offences relating to fraudulent claims for jobseeker's allowance in each of the last three years.

Chris Grayling: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is not available, as to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.
	Prosecutions in Scotland are the responsibility of the Procurator Fiscal, and data are not collated centrally.

Discrimination

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  if he will estimate the costs incurred by the courts in the pursuit of separate actions in cases before tribunals or courts where the same litigant raised issues of discrimination against another litigant on any two of the grounds of  (a) gender,  (b) race,  (c) nationality,  (d) sexual orientation,  (e) religious belief and (f) disability in each of the last four years;
	(2)  in how many cases before tribunals or courts the same litigant raised issues of discrimination against another litigant on any two of the grounds of  (a) gender,  (b) race,  (c) nationality,  (d) sexual orientation,  (e) religious belief and  (f) disability in each of the last four years.

Jonathan Djanogly: Under the Equality Act 2010, the term 'protected characteristic' is used to describe one or more of the following characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/paternity, race (which includes nationality), religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. An individual who thinks he or she has been discriminated against on the basis of a protected characteristic may bring a claim to a court or employment tribunal, depending on the nature of the claim.
	Information on claims made to the civil courts in England and Wales about discrimination is not collated centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	In the employment context, where a person feels they have experienced discrimination due to more than one protected characteristic, they may submit an employment tribunal claim which contains more than one jurisdictional complaint, for example a claim for sex and race discrimination. There is no restriction to the number of jurisdictional complaints that can be included in the claim; however, where a claim does contain more than one jurisdictional complaint, although treated as individual complaints, they tend to be heard together by one tribunal panel.
	No calculation of the average cost of Employment Tribunal appeals is available because of the significant variations which occur in the duration of hearings within jurisdictions and individual cases, and the consequent difficulty in producing an accurate overall figure. For this reason it is not possible to provide a reliable estimate of the additional costs incurred in cases involving more than one issue of discrimination.
	The following table sets out the number of cases submitted to employment tribunals that include discrimination complaints under two or more of the protected characteristics listed in the question for each in the last four completed financial years.
	
		
			  Number of cases with multiple discrimination jurisdictions( 1) 
			   Number of multiple discrimination jurisdictions( 2)  
			  Financial year  Two jurisdictions  Three jurisdictions  Four jurisdictions  Five jurisdictions  Total 
			 2006-07 1,600 180 22 7 1,800 
			 2007-08 1,700 220 22 28 1,900 
			 2008-09 2,000 270 27 37 2,300 
			 2009-10 2,200 340 31 9 2,500 
			 Total 7,400 1,000 100 81 8,600 
			 (1) The jurisdictions asked about and included in the reported data are: Gender; Race (including nationality); Sexual Orientation; Religious Belief; Disability. (2) Each figure in the table is rounded independently and thus may not add to totals. The following conventions have been used: Values less than 100 remain as unit values; Values from 100 to 999 are rounded to the nearest ten; Values of 1,000 and over are rounded to the nearest hundred.  Source: ET Central database March 2011

Discrimination

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will estimate the likely effect of not implementing the dual discrimination provisions of the Equality Act 2010 on the number of separate claims for discrimination before tribunals or courts in each of the next four years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Government do not expect that there will be any direct impact on the number of separate (single-characteristic) claims flowing from the non-implementation of the Equality Act's dual discrimination provisions.

Legal Aid: West Midlands

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people in (a) Wolverhampton North East constituency and (b) the West Midlands received legal aid in each of the last five years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) is responsible for administering the legal aid scheme in England and Wales. The LSC does not record the number of people who receive legal aid, but instead records the number of 'acts of assistance'. One individual may receive a number of separate acts of assistance, and one act of assistance can help more than one person.
	We are re-examining the data in respect of all of the constituencies and I will write separately with this information.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities who will be responsible for preparing the UK's seventh periodic report under Article 18 of the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women; and what plans she has for consultation with civil society organisations in the preparation of this report.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government Equalities Office (GEO) is responsible for overseeing the UK's commitments to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and leads across Government in co-ordinating the UK's Periodic Report to the CEDAW Committee, in preparation for submission of the 7(th) Periodic Report, we organised a national public consultation event last November with UK non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which I attended with the Minister for Women and Equalities, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May). Officials have also met with NGO stakeholders and supported NGO consultation events in the Devolved Nations.

TREASURY

Banks: Crown Dependencies

Graham Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking following the collapse of the Crown Currency Exchange to prevent similar collapses.

Mark Hoban: I refer the hon. Member to my letter to every Member of the House on 18 November 2010.

Banks: Crown Dependencies

Graham Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with representatives of  (a) the Financial Services Authority and  (b) Barclays Bank on the (i) regulation and (ii) collapse of Crown Currency Exchange.

Mark Hoban: I wrote to every Member of the House to set out the Government's position on Crown Currency Exchange on 18 November 2010.
	Treasury Ministers and officials have discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions.

Child Benefit

Edward Balls: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many single income families will be affected by the removal of child benefit from households containing a higher-rate taxpayer in  (a) the UK,  (b) each region and  (c) each constituency.

David Gauke: holding answer 7 March 2011
	It is estimated that around 180,000 single-income families in the UK will have their annual income reduced as a result of the proposed changes to child benefit in 2012-13. These households are all within the top 20% of household incomes.
	Reliable estimates at the regional and parliamentary constituency level are not available for this group.

Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what cost savings would accrue to the Exchequer from restricting  (a) child benefit and  (b) child tax credit to three children only for children born after 1 January 2012 in each year from 2012-13 to 2020-21; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: This information is available only at disproportionate cost.

Child Benefit: Lone Parents

Edward Balls: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Newcastle Upon Tyne North of 28 February 2011,  Official Report, column 39W, how many single parent families in the UK he expects to have their annual income reduced as a result of the proposed changes to child benefit.

David Gauke: holding answer 7 March 2011
	It is estimated that around 55,000 single-parent families in the UK will have their annual income reduced as a result of the proposed changes to child benefit in 2012-13. These households are all within the top 20% of households.

Child Care tax Credit

Edward Balls: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect of the decision to reduce the rate of childcare support from 80 per cent. to 70 per cent. on the weekly income of families  (a) in each income decile and  (b) with each number of children.

David Gauke: holding answer 2 March 2011
	No estimate has been made.
	The reduction of child care support to 70% from 80% is part of a range of reforms to the tax credits system announced at the spending review.
	The Government published estimates of the distributional impact of the package of announced tax and benefit measures which can be found at:
	http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sr2010_annexb.pdf
	Estimating the impact of an individual measure does not give a clear indication of the full monetary impact on an individual household.

Child Tax Credit

Edward Balls: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate of the change  (a) in weekly cash income and  (b) in proportion of weekly income for families in each income decile of the decision to remove the baby element from the child tax credit from April 2011.

David Gauke: holding answer 2 March 2011
	No estimate has been made.
	The removal of the baby element is part of a range of reforms to the tax credits system announced at the emergency Budget.
	Estimating the impact of an individual measure does not give a clear indication of the full monetary impact on an individual household.
	The Government published estimates of the distributional impact of the package of announced tax and benefit measures which can be found at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/junebudget_annexa.pdf

Conditions of Employment

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people worked on the enforcement of employment rights and related protections in HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last five years; how many people he expects to work on such matters in that body in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: The number of staff working in compliance teams on the enforcement of the national minimum wage within HMRC in each of the last five years is in the following table:
	
		
			  At April  Staff in post 
			 2006 110 
			 2007 109 
			 2008 122 
			 2009 125 
			 2010 129 
		
	
	No estimate of future staff numbers is available as HMRC is currently considering future resource requirements for 2011-12 and beyond, in the context of the comprehensive spending review.

Corporate Bond Market

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the potential for small and medium-sized businesses to access funds from the corporate bond market; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: holding answer 29 March 2011
	The corporate bond markets are generally only a financing option for larger companies and are not suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as the Government set out in the "Financing a Private Sector Recovery" Green Paper last year.
	However, as set out in "The Plan for Growth" published alongside the Budget, the Government will continue to support industry-led developments to improve access to bond markets for midcap businesses, which have a higher turnover than SMEs.

Defence: Finance

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to announce his decision in respect of the Ministry of Defence's Planning Round 11.

Danny Alexander: holding answer 28 March 2011
	 The Ministry of Defence's spending plans were published in the spending review, which set out plans to reduce expenditure by 8% over the next four years. The Ministry of Defence will announce the conclusions of the planning round in due course.

Departmental Cycling

Tessa Munt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for the future of the Cycle to Work scheme.

David Gauke: The Cycle to Work scheme provides an exemption from income tax on the benefit in kind created when an employer hires cycles or cycling safety equipment to an employee. The Government have no plans to change this exemption. In the Budget the Government announced their intention to abolish the separate tax relief that is currently available where employers provide breakfasts to cyclists on designated cycle to work days, as recommended by the Office of Tax Simplification.

Departmental Plants

Luciana Berger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on indoor and outdoor plants and trees since his appointment.

Justine Greening: The cost of the provision and maintenance of indoor plants within the 1 Horse Guards Road building between 1 May 20.10 and 28 February 2011 was £7,423. The contract covering the provision and maintenance of the outdoor plants and trees is part of a wider maintenance contract in place since 2002 and the element applicable to outdoor plants and trees is not separately identifiable.

Departmental Senior Civil Servants

David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the  (a) job title on departure and  (b) payband was of each senior civil servant in HM Revenue and Customs and its predecessors who resigned to take up a position with (i) Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG or Ernst and Young and (ii) a FTSE 100 company in each of the last six years.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs holds data on the number of applications from senior civil servants who sought approval to take up an outside appointment for this year and the previous two years only.
	Details are as follows:
	 2008-09
	Strategic Response Unit, SCS1 to (i) Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG or Ernst and Young
	 2009-10
	Deputy Director Specialist International, SCS1A to (i) Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG or Ernst and Young
	Chief People Officer, SCS3 to (ii) a FTSE 100 company
	HRD Transformation Project, SCS1 to (ii) a FTSE 100 company
	HR Director Corporate Services, SCS1 to (ii) a FTSE 100 company
	 2010- 11
	Assistant Director, Low Income and Diversity, SCS1 to (i) Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG or Ernst and Young.

Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has assessed the effect of  (a) price elasticity in the (i) on-trade and (ii) off-trade and  (b) pass-through rates of alcohol duty on (A) levels of employment and (B) receipts to the Exchequer.

Justine Greening: Price elasticities for both the on and off trade are used to assess the impact on receipts from changes to alcohol duty rates.
	HMRC research on price elasticities is published in the following technical paper:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/research/alcohol-consumption-uk.pdf
	As part of the Budget process macroeconomic effects, such as employment, are considered for the whole package of economic measures, including estimates of alcohol duty receipts. The Office of Budget Responsibility's 'Economic and fiscal outlook', published on 23 March 2011, estimates that total employment will rise by 900,000 between 2010 and 2015.

Excise Duties: Beer

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the effect of ( a) levels on employment and  (b) revenue to the Exchequer of (i) retaining beer duty at the level in force on 22 March 2011 and (ii) changing it in line with the 2011 Budget proposals.

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Burton (Andrew Griffiths) on 28 March 2011,  Official Report, column 35W.

Income Tax

Edward Balls: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the change in the number of people paying income tax at the 40 per cent. rate with effect from 5 April 2011 in each region.

David Gauke: holding answer 2 March 2011
	In the June 2010 Budget, it was estimated that 880,000 persons would be taken out of tax in 2011-12 as a result of the above indexation increase in the personal allowance to £7,475.
	The number of higher rate income taxpayers is projected to increase by 600,000 in 2011-12. A breakdown by region is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Thousand 
			  Government Office Region  2011-12  2010-11  Change 
			 North East 100 80 20 
			 North West 311 252 59 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 224 183 41 
			 East Midlands 228 187 41 
			 West Midlands 248 204 44 
			 East of England 412 347 65 
			 London 656 566 90 
			 South East 707 605 102 
			 South West 287 232 55 
			 Wales 115 93 22 
			 Scotland 281 234 47 
			 Northern Ireland 62 51 11 
			 Total(1) 3,660 3,060 600 
			 (1) Includes some taxpayers who reside abroad or region is not known. 
		
	
	These estimates are based on the 2007-08 Survey of personal incomes projected to 2010-11 and 2011-12 in line with the Office of Budget Responsibility's November 2010 economic and fiscal outlook.

Insolvency

Edward Balls: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses were entered into insolvency by HM Revenue and Customs in each  (a) region and  (b) parliamentary constituency since May 2010.

David Gauke: The number of bankruptcy and winding up orders granted to HMRC in England and Wales from May 2010 to December 2010 was approximately 3.100.
	The other information is not available in the format requested.
	HMRC takes a sympathetic approach to both individuals and businesses that have genuine short-term difficulties in paying the tax they owe. In such cases HMRC will aim to come to an arrangement to give time to pay and so avoid taking action that might lead to an otherwise viable business-or individual-being declared insolvent by the courts.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 17 February 2011 on Mr J Taylor.

Mark Hoban: I have replied to the right hon. Member.

Monetary Policy

Steven Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the  (a) short and  (b) long-term effects of quantitative easing on levels of employment.

Justine Greening: Quantitative easing (QE) through the asset purchase facility provides the independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England with another tool, in addition to reductions in bank rate, to support nominal demand in order to meet the inflation target in the medium term.
	The bank's May 2009 inflation report explains how asset purchases work to stimulate nominal spending along various channels. The bank's analysis, for example in the Quarterly Bulletin 2011 Q1, is that QE has had a positive impact along these channels.

National Asset Management Agency

Ben Gummer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what conditions were placed on the loan facility extended to the government of the Republic of Ireland relating to the sale or release of property assets in the UK owned by the National Asset Management Agency;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Republic of Ireland on the sale and release of assets in the UK owned by the National Asset Management Agency.

Mark Hoban: The conditions of the bilateral loan were set out in the loan agreement placed in the library of the Houses of Parliament on 10th January 2011:
	http://www.parliament.uk/deposits/depositedpapers/2011/DEP2011-0015.pdf
	The mandate for the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) was set by the Irish Government under Irish legislation. NAMA's role has been set out in agreement with international partners in the Memorandum of Understanding between the Irish Government and the International Monetary Fund, European Commission and the European Central Bank.
	The Government maintain a dialogue with the Irish authorities on a wide range of issues in respect of the financial crisis. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not this Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions.

National Insurance: Databases

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether the National Insurance and PAYE Service holds a computer record for every individual for whom a national insurance number has been issued;
	(2)  how many individual records have been added to the National Insurance and PAYE Service system since it went online.

David Gauke: DWP holds a computer record for every individual for whom a national insurance number (NINO) has been issued.
	HMRC systems reflect the population of adults who have an active record and estimates approximately one million new NINO records are added to the system in each fiscal year.

National Insurance: Databases

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent assessment is of progress in the introduction of a real-time information system to the National Insurance and PAYE Service computer system; and whether he expects it to be in operation by spring 2012.

David Gauke: HMRC has made good progress in developing the new Real Time Information system. This includes the completion of a public consultation and the submission of requirements to its IT suppliers in line with plans. I expect HMRC to be in a position to pilot the Real Time Information system with employers, pension providers and payroll bureaux from the spring of 2012.

Oil: Excise Duties

David Hamilton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the forecast of future oil prices on which he based his assessment of the fiscal effects of his proposed changes to fuel duty.

Justine Greening: holding answer 28 March 2011
	The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing independent economic and fiscal forecasts. The OBR published its latest 'Economic and fiscal outlook' on 23 March 2011, which can be found online at:
	http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/economic_and_fiscal_outlook_23032011.pdf
	The oil prices used by the OBR to produce their economic and fiscal forecasts are set out on page 95, in Table 4.3: Determinants of the fiscal forecast.

Personal Taxation

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will estimate the effect on the average annual level of income tax payable by an individual in the  (a) 20 per cent.,  (b) 40 per cent. and  (c) 50 per cent. band of income tax if personal taxation allowances were linked to the retail price index in each of the next four financial years;
	(2)  if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of linking personal taxation allowances to the retail price index in each of the next four financial years.

David Gauke: Income tax allowances are not linked to consumer price index (CPI) during the years in question (2012-13 to 2015-16. Only national insurance contribution (NICs) rates and thresholds are linked to CPI from 2012-13 onwards (excluding the Secondary Threshold for employer Class 1 NICs).
	The only change to income tax allowances from 2012-13 is the £630 cash increase to the personal allowance (PA), for individuals under 65, with an equal decrease in the basic rate limit (BRL). This leaves the higher rate threshold (the sum of the PA and BRL) unchanged.
	The following is a link to the 2011 Budget Report Overview:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2011/overview.pdf
	The PA increase is explained on Page A24 with relevant Exchequer impacts.

Tax Yields

John Cryer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue to the Exchequer to accrue from the application of a surcharge of 15 per cent. on unearned investment income over £7,000 in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11.

David Gauke: Total investment income exceeding the specified £7,000 threshold across individuals is estimated at £42.7 billion in 2009-10 and £43.5 billion in 2010-11.
	These estimates are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes 2007-08, projected in line with the Office of Budget Responsibility's November 2010 economic and fiscal outlook.
	An additional charge of 15% on this income would give rise to substantial behavioural effects. Estimates of the behavioural responses to changes in tax rates on investment income, and hence overall impacts on tax revenues, are not available.

Taxation: Self-assessment

David Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will remove the rules that prevent pay as you earn employees who have been taxed at an incorrect code transferring the overpayment and setting it against their self-assessment liabilities.

David Gauke: Customers in receipt of PAYE income and who are required to complete an annual self-assessment tax return have their total taxable income (from all sources) and resultant tax liability calculated under self-assessment and not as part of the annual PAYE end of year reconciliation process.

Working Tax Credit: Lone Parents

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an assessment of the effect on the number of single parents in employment of the reduction in the child care element of working tax credits.

David Gauke: No estimate has been made.
	The reduction of child care support to 70% from 80% is part of a range of reforms to the tax credits system announced at the spending review.
	There are interactions between the measures so estimating the impact of just one measure does not give a clear indication of the full impact on households.
	The Government published estimates of the distributional impact of the whole package of announced tax and benefit measures which can be found at:
	http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sr2010_annexb.pdf

HOME DEPARTMENT

British Nationality

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to bring forward proposals for further substantial changes to the rules for obtaining settlement and citizenship in the UK as indicated in November 2010.

Damian Green: The Government will consult on proposals to break the link between temporary migration and permanent settlement later this year.

Children: Protection

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any of the alleged child abuse suspects identified by the Child Exploitation Online Protection Centre in March 2011 would not have been subject to the proposed revision to the regime for criminal record checks.

Lynne Featherstone: holding answer 28 March 2011
	On 11 February Sunita Mason, the Independent Advisor for Criminality Information Management, published her report on the Criminal Records Regime. We are carefully considering her recommendations.
	Changes proposed in the Protection of Freedoms Bill will not change the current eligibility for criminal records checks. Legal requirements for checks will continue to apply in the education and health sectors, and for people working with children on a less frequent basis, employers will still have discretion to request a check.
	We can not comment on individual cases that form part of an investigation by the Child Exploitation Online Protection Centre.

Departmental Public Bodies

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate her Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the Forensic Science Service.

James Brokenshire: The Forensic Science Service (FSS) has been making huge financial losses and we are determined to make the managed closure as cost effective to the taxpayer as possible. We are actively seeking to reduce the cost to the taxpayer such as through the sale of FSS assets and transfer of staff.

Departmental Public Bodies

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate her Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the merging of the Independent Safeguarding Authority and the Criminal Records Bureau.

Lynne Featherstone: The reviews of the Criminal Records Regime and Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) recommended that a single new body be created to carry out both criminal records disclosure and barring functions. The details of this new organisation have yet to be finalised and we will be taking a careful and considered approach to its formation.
	There is potential to realise efficiencies by delivering a new proportionate criminal records regime, however, the planning for this is currently in its early stages.

DNA: Databases

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with officials in her Department on the process of loading batches of samples to the National DNA Database; how many samples are contained in each batch loaded to the database; whether such batches can be split retrospectively after loading; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: I have had no recent discussions with officials on this issue.
	DNA samples are not added to the National DNA Database (NDNAD); the samples are analysed and converted into a numerical DNA sample profile which is then added to the NDNAD. DNA sample profile records are submitted to the NDNAD in electronic 'Analytical Results Files'.
	The number of DNA sample profiles in each of these electronic files depends on the processes used by the submitting DNA Forensic Supplier. Each file can contain between one and 1,000 DNA sample profile records. On receipt, the batch file will be copied into a folder within the NDNAD Confidential Network by an NDNAD operator. The NDNAD system then processes the batch file, as a whole, automatically. Batch files are not split retrospectively after receipt by the NDNAD. Any alterations to a batch file would result in it failing to load onto the NDNAD.

DNA: Databases

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of her proposals to remove certain DNA profiles from the National DNA Database.

James Brokenshire: We estimate that implementing our proposals for the deletion from the National DNA Database of the DNA profiles of those arrested but not convicted of an offence and the destruction of biological DNA samples will have a one-off cost of £4.8 million.
	Further details of these costs are contained in the impact assessment produced for the Protection of Freedoms Bill which can be found on Home Office website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/about-us/legislation/freedom-bill/pof-bill-ia

DNA: Databases

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who will be responsible for  (a) taking possession of DNA profile material and  (b) supervising the destruction of records following the closure of the Forensic Science Service.

James Brokenshire: As part of the managed closure process we will ensure steps are taken to safeguard records and prevent any break in continuity when the company ceases trading. We will also ensure records are destroyed where appropriate.

DNA: Databases

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the potential effects of the closure of the Forensic Science Service on the Government's plans to remove profiles from the National DNA Database;
	(2)  what  (a) funding and  (b) staff she plans to allocate for the removal of DNA profiles from the National DNA Database following the closure of the Forensic Science Service.

James Brokenshire: The Forensic Science Service (FSS) and other forensic science providers derive DNA profiles from biological samples taken by the police and submit them to the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) for loading onto the NDNAD. It is the profiles on the National DNA Database (NDNAD) that are the primary focus of the provisions of the Protection of Freedoms Bill. Consideration is currently being given to the destruction of profiling records held by all forensic suppliers. The NPIA is already working on the implementation of the Bill and, on the assumption that the Bill receives Royal Assent by early 2012, plans will already be in place to implement the legislation.

DNA: Databases

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her proposals for removal of DNA profiles from the National DNA Database contemplate the removal from the database of all records associated with a DNA sample.

James Brokenshire: Where the Government's proposals in the Protection of Freedoms Bill would result in a person's numerical DNA profile being removed from the National DNA Database, all other associated records will also be removed from that database.
	In addition to our proposals in respect of the removal of DNA profiles from the National DNA Database, we propose that all biological DNA samples will be destroyed within six months of being taken.

Domestic Violence: Immigrants

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to undertake a review of the Sojourner Project; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: A full, independent evaluation of the pilot is currently underway, led by the charity Against Violence and Abuse. This evaluation is due to report in the spring.

Domestic Violence: Immigrants

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Sojourner Project; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Sojourner Project started on 29 November 2009. An internal, interim evaluation of the pilot was conducted when the pilot had been in existence for three months. This provided an opportunity for the Home Office and the UK Border Agency to understand the emerging findings arising from the pilot to help inform any future developments in this policy area.

Domestic Violence: Immigrants

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration she has given to the merits of extending the 20-day limit for applications for indefinite leave to remain from women accepted on the Sojourner Project; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: From April 2011 the Home Office will provide a total of 50 days funding for those accepted on the Sojourner Project; 30 days for the claimant to submit an application under the Domestic Violence provisions and 20 days for the UK Border Agency to reach a decision on the application.

Domestic Violence: Immigrants

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for indefinite leave to remain were made within the 20-day limit by women accepted on to the Sojourner Project; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: Figures(1) from the beginning of the Sojourner Project (November 2009) indicate that 23% of applications for indefinite leave to remain on the basis of domestic violence were submitted to the UK Border Agency within the 20 day limit by applicants accepted onto the Sojourner project.
	We have recognised that applicants face difficulties in gathering and submitting the necessary evidence within the initial 20 day period. That is why we have chosen to extend the funding period which a person who has been accepted onto the Sojourner project is eligible to receive.
	(1) The information has been provided from local management information and is not a National Statistic. As such it should be treated as provisional and therefore subject to change.

Domestic Violence: Immigrants

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what proportion of cases the UK Border Agency met the 20-day target for the processing of applications for indefinite leave to remain in domestic violence cases in the latest period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The information is as follows:
	Figures for the latest period, January 2011, show that the UK Border Agency met the 20 day target for processing applications for indefinite leave to remain as a victim of domestic violence in 74% of cases.
	The information has been provided from local management information and is not a National Statistic. As such it should be treated as provisional and therefore subject to change.

Domestic Violence: Suicide

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether an estimate has been made of the number of those who experience domestic violence who have committed suicide; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office does not collect data on the number of people who experience domestic violence who have committed suicide. However, according to the British Crime Survey, in 3% of incidents of partner abuse in 2008-09, the victim tried to commit suicide.

European Gendarmerie Force

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make it her policy not to consent to the deployment of the European Gendarmerie force on UK territory.

James Brokenshire: There have been no European Gendarmerie Force (EGF) personnel deployed in the UK and the Government currently see no circumstances in which they would consent to an EGF operation in the UK. The EGF is a multinational initiative of six countries (France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and Romania) aimed at improving crisis management capability in sensitive areas and supporting peacekeeping missions around the world. The UK is not part of this initiative.

Metals: Sales

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to prohibit payments in cash for supplies of scrap metal.

James Brokenshire: We are exploring the feasibility, with the ACPO Conductive Metal Theft Working Group, of introducing a non-statutory cashless trading model for scrap metal dealers.

SCOTLAND

Oil and Gas

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met representatives of the oil and gas industries in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Moore: Since appointment I have had a number of meetings with representatives of the oil and gas industry in Scotland and will continue to do so.

Public Expenditure

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions his Department has had with HM Treasury on the implications of the 2011 Budget for the provisions of the Scotland Bill.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland and I have regular discussions with all UK Ministers on a range of issues. The provisions of the Scotland Bill will deliver financial accountability to the Scottish Parliament whilst retaining the benefits of the unified UK tax system for business and individuals across Scotland.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Art Works

Gloria De Piero: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many works of art in the Parliamentary Art Collection are  (a) on display and  (b) in storage.

John Thurso: There are over 8,500 works of art in the Parliamentary Art Collection. Around 80% of the collection is on display throughout the buildings of the Parliamentary Estate at any one time, with 20% held in store. This figure fluctuates regularly due to office moves, picture selections and changes made to the displays.

Art Works

Gloria De Piero: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the cost to the House of Commons Service was of insuring the Parliamentary Art Collection in respect of works  (a) on display and  (b) in storage in the last year for which figures are available.

John Thurso: The House Service does not purchase commercial insurance for works of art in the Parliamentary Art Collection when they are on display in the buildings of the Parliamentary Estate. Similarly no commercial insurance is purchased for works of art held in storage on the Parliamentary Estate.
	Works of art from the Parliamentary Art Collection are covered by insurance when they are on loan to third parties outside the Parliamentary Estate and in such instances the borrower pays the cost of the insurance cover.
	During the current financial year 2010-11 the House Service has paid £1,350 for commercial insurance for 240 works of art from the Parliamentary Art Collection temporarily being held in external storage.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Darfur

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to alleviate the humanitarian situation in Darfur.

Andrew Mitchell: In Darfur, more than 70,000 people have fled fighting since January. The UK is the single largest donor to the Common Humanitarian Fund. We also support NGOs and the International Committee of the Red Cross in their work on health, nutrition, water and sanitation, and protection.

Developing Countries: Tuberculosis

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what resources his Department is providing for development of diagnostic tools to detect tuberculosis at the point of care in  (a) rural and  (b) other communities in developing countries.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development is supporting a public-private product development partnership, the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), with funding of £5 million for the period 2009-14. FIND are working on a number of new diagnostic tools for tuberculosis, including those that can be used in  (a) rural settings and  (b) in reference laboratories and district hospitals.
	To date FIND have developed five diagnostic tests for reference laboratories and district hospitals and are also working on how they can adapt these tools for use in more peripheral settings.

Developing Countries: Tuberculosis

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has plans to share the best practice on tackling tuberculosis and HIV in maternal care arising from its work in Rwanda with international counterparts.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not work specifically on tackling tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS in maternal care in Rwanda. DFID provides sector budget support to the health sector as a whole, to support the Government of Rwanda delivering results across the sector. The performance of the health sector is regularly reviewed jointly by the Government of Rwanda and donors. These reviews enable dialogue around best practice and agreement on how to disseminate lessons to the wider international health community. The Government of Rwanda themselves are very proactive in disseminating their best practice to other developing country governments and partners and have, for example, recently done so with respect to results-based health financing and community health insurance. The World Health Organisation and the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria also play a leading role, supported by the UK, in sharing best practice on tackling tuberculosis and HIV in maternal care.

Developing Countries: Tuberculosis

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what research his Department plans to undertake on the effects of tuberculosis on children and families in the developing world in the next 12 months.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development is supporting a range of research programmes that will address the impact of tuberculosis (TB) on children and families in the developing world, over the next 12 months and beyond. For example, research on the development of new vaccines aimed at infants and children; a wide range of clinical and operational research to improve the diagnosis of TB in children and to find better ways to treat people with TB, in particular multi-drug resistant TB, which has a large impact on children and families.

Development Aid

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the poorest country is to which the UK provides development aid; and what form such aid takes.

Andrew Mitchell: According to Statistics on International Development (SID), published October 2010, Burundi is ranked as the poorest country to which the UK provides bilateral and multilateral aid. Burundi's gross national income per capita is $135. Following the Bilateral Aid Review, the UK Government are focusing future support exclusively on furthering Burundi's integration into the East African Community (EAC). We consider this to be the single most important contributing factor to Burundi's economic growth in the medium term. The UK Government's work on Trade Mark East Africa has supported the creation of a new Revenue Authority in Burundi, resulting in overall revenues rising by more than 30% and domestic tax revenues doubling. UK funding to Burundi will continue to be provided through the multilateral development organisations.
	Details of UK aid expenditure in developing countries are published in SID, which is available in the House Library or online at:
	www.dfid.gov.uk

Swaziland: Overseas Aid

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will review his decision on the reprioritisation of aid to Swaziland in light of the rate of HIV prevalence and low life expectancy in that country.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) closed its bilateral programme to Swaziland in 2005. DFID's support for Swaziland is mainly delivered through multilateral partners such as the World Bank, UN, European Commission (EC) and Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.
	Swaziland will continue to benefit from regional programmes managed by the DFID office in South Africa. For example, our regional HIV and AIDS behaviour change programme has reached 80% of the population of Swaziland with radio, TV and booklets containing messages on the importance of prevention and testing for HIV and AIDS.
	In 2008-09, DFID provided £4.5 million in aid to Swaziland.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Alcoholic Drinks

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on the contents of ministerial drinks cabinets since 12 May 2010.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not have ministerial drinks cabinets.

Arms Trade

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the export of  (a) arms and  (b) crowd control devices to foreign governments which his Department identifies as non-democratic or oppressive.

Alistair Burt: We operate one of the most robust and transparent arms exports control systems in the world, whereby all controlled goods (including arms and crowd control devices) are assessed, on a case-by-case basis, against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. As the Secretary of State said to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 16 March 2011, we will review the export of equipment that might be used for internal repression, in particular crowd control goods.

British Nationals Abroad

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British nationals he estimates are resident in  (a) Brazil,  (b) Russia,  (c) India and  (d) China.

William Hague: British nationals resident overseas are not obliged to inform our embassies or consulates of their presence although we actively encourage them to do so. Therefore, our estimates are based on the number of those nationals who we understand have been issued resident permits, or made themselves known to the embassies, and from publicly available research. We estimate:
	Brazil-in the region of 10,000 British nationals permanently resident;
	Russia-in the region of 7,000 British nationals permanently resident;
	India-in the region of 34,000 British nationals permanently resident, rising to around 51,000 at certain times of the year;
	China-in the region of 17,000 British nationals permanently resident.

Chen Guangcheng

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations  (a) he,  (b) Ministers in his Department,  (c) officials in his Department,  (d) HM Ambassador to China and  (e) officials in the British Embassy in China have made to the government of China on (i) Chen Guangcheng and (ii) his family; what response was received; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We are concerned by persistent reports of mistreatment and extrajudicial restrictions targeting individual human rights defenders in China, particularly lawyers. We are aware of the video released on 9 February 2011 of blind human rights lawyer Chen Guangcheng, in which he describes the restrictions placed upon him during his current period of house arrest. We are concerned about the treatment of Chen and his family, whose detention appears to violate Chinese laws.
	During his recent meeting in January with Chinese Vice-Premier Li Keqiang, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs expressed his concern about Chen's treatment. The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Taunton Deane (Mr Browne) also raised Chen's case with the head of the Chinese delegation to the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue on 13 January, and called for his release. We also included Chen on a list of individual cases of concern that was handed to the head of the delegation to the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue.
	A satisfactory response on Chen's case has not yet been received. We continue to monitor his situation and are working with EU partners to maintain the profile of his case.

Departmental Cycling

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many employees of his Department are participating in the Cycle to Work scheme.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has approximately 70 London based employees participating in the Cycle to Work scheme.

Departmental Redundancy

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many civil servants in his Department have been offered voluntary redundancy since April 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: No Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff have been offered voluntary redundancy since April 2010.

Egypt: Aviation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 15 February 2011,  Official Report, column 713W, on Egypt: politics and government, how many British nationals who used flights from Egypt charted by his Department have  (a) paid and  (b) not paid for the flight to date.

Alistair Burt: Our records show that the two charter flights carried 196 British nationals. As of 25 March 2011, repayment cheques have been received for 42 passengers. This covers 29 adults plus 13 children, with a total value of £11,200.

Egypt: Aviation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's policy is on charging  (a) British and  (b) non-British nationals who used recent flights chartered by his Department from Egypt.

Alistair Burt: I refer my hon. Friend to my response of 15 February 2011,  Official Report, column 713W.
	As of 25 March 2011, repayment cheques have been received for 42 passengers.

Egypt: Politics and Government

Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to offer  (a) financial and  (b) other support to Egypt for the purposes of managing political transition.

Alistair Burt: The Government support a peaceful, democratic transition and political reform that meets the aspirations of the Egyptian people. The EU is the main channel for our support and financial assistance to Egypt. The EU has offered a package of measures to support the transition to a civilian-led democratic government in Egypt, and awaits a formal request from the Egyptians to take this forward. The EU is also working on measures to support civil society in Egypt.
	In addition, we are discussing bilateral assistance with the Egyptian Government aimed at Egypt's political, economic and structural needs. This includes work strands to promote political participation, employment and vocational education, civil society engagement, security sector reform, constitutional reform, and help to tackle corruption and conflict of interest in government. I met the Egyptian Finance Minister, Dr Samir Radwan, on 25 March 2011 and we discussed economic recovery and the political transition in Egypt.

Japan: Aviation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many seats were  (a) available and  (b) occupied on each of the flights on aircraft recently chartered by his Department for passenger transport from Japan following the tsunami.

Jeremy Browne: Following the revision of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) travel advice to advise British nationals to consider leaving Tokyo and areas to the north of Tokyo, the FCO secured seats on four flights to Hong Kong for British nationals who were unable to book tickets on commercial flights out of Japan.
	Flight one-The FCO block booked seats on a commercial flight with Cathay Pacific airlines. 200 seats were made available and 44 British nationals and dependents took up seats.
	Flight two-FCO chartered this flight. 283 seats were available and four British nationals took up seats.
	Flight three-FCO chartered this flight using Orient Thai Air. 448 seats were available and 20 British nationals and dependents took up seats.
	Flight four-FCO block booked seats on a commercial flight with Cathay Pacific airlines. 50 seats were made available and 11 British nationals and their dependents took up seats.
	Given the scale of the unfolding crisis and unpredictability of demand, these bookings were a sensible precautionary measure to ensure that all British nationals and their families who wished to leave Japan immediately were able to do so.

Japan: Tsunami

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Ministers in his Department were consulted on the decision not to give permission to International Rescue Corps to work in Japan following the tsunami.

William Hague: holding answer 21 March 2011
	There was no question of the British Government deciding not to give permission to the International Rescue Corps to work in Japan. Decisions about whether to accept or decline offers of assistance are for the Japanese Government. Our embassy in Tokyo wrote a formal letter of support to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the International Rescue Corps' behalf It did not consider it necessary to consult Ministers before doing so.

Libya: Aviation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many seats were  (a) available and  (b) occupied on each of the flights on aircraft recently chartered by his Department for passenger transport from Libya.

Alistair Burt: Six flights were chartered to offer primarily British nationals and then foreign nationals safe passage out of Libya. A total of 1099 seats were made available; 553 seats were occupied. Due to the chaotic situation and safety concerns at Libya airport it was not always possible for British nationals to pass through immigration and/or board flights in sufficient time to meet chartered aircraft.
	1. Departed Libya (Tripoli) at 02:47 on Thursday 24 February 2011-221 seats available; 181 seats used
	2. Departed Libya (Tripoli) at 18:09 on Thursday 24 February 2011-180 seats available; 131 seats used
	3. Departed Libya (Tripoli) at 22:49 on Thursday 24 February 2011-200 seats available; three seats used
	4. Departed Libya (Tripoli) at 23:55 on Thursday 24 February 2011-170 seats available; 0 seats used
	5. Departed Libya (Tripoli) at 08:35 on Friday 25 February 2011-180 seats available; 136 seats used
	6. Departed Libya (Tripoli) at 13:07 on Saturday 26 February 2011-148 seats available; 102 seats used.

Libya: Aviation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of British nationals who have left Libya in the last month on flights organised by other governments.

Alistair Burt: We believe that the departure of around 150 British nationals, by air or sea, was assisted by other EU governments.

Libya: Politics and Government

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking to assist in the delivery of essential medical supplies to Libya.

Alistair Burt: On 9 March 2011, the Department for International Development announced that the UK would provide funding to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) which will enable the ICRC to provide three medical surgical teams to treat and provide medical supplies to 3,000 people affected by the fighting in Libya. The ICRC will act to co-ordinate support to hospitals and facilitate delivery of these medical supplies.
	We continue to address humanitarian concerns as part of our response to the deteriorating situation in Libya. For example, as well as imposing immediate measures to stop the violence in Libya, the UK-led UN Security Council Resolution 1970 called on member states to facilitate humanitarian aid and urged the Libyan authorities to ensure the safe passage of medical supplies into the country. The UK drafted and co-sponsored UN Security Council Resolution 1973 adopted on 17 March 2011, similarly demanded that the Libyan authorities ensure the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian assistance. It also made clear that the ban on all flights in Libyan airspace shall not apply to flights whose sole purpose is humanitarian, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, humanitarian workers and related assistance.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the Palestinian Authority's adherence to its road map commitment to end incitement against Israel.

Alistair Burt: holding answer 28 March 2011
	The Government deplores all incitement to violence. We have strongly supported the Palestinian Authority's (PA) programme of reform of its institutions of state, including the security sector. The PA has made considerable progress in this regard, meaning a more effective government, an improved security situation, and the PA meeting its core commitments under the Quartet Roadmap. For this progress to be sustainable progress is needed towards a two-state solution; it is vital that obstacles to resuming negotiations are removed, including Israel's decision to continue building settlements, in direct contravention of its Roadmap commitments.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Palestinian authorities on the need to reduce tensions between Israel and the Gaza Strip.

Alistair Burt: holding answer 28 March 2011
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary expressed his concern at the escalating violence in Israel and the Gaza Strip in a statement on 25 March 2011, noting a surge in rockets and mortars launched at Israeli civilians and the death of six Palestinian civilians as a result of Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip.
	We have underlined in public and in private, with both Israeli and Palestinian interlocutors, the need to prevent further loss of innocent life, to bring the perpetrators to justice and to work to reduce these tensions.

Olympic Games 2012

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Department for International Development on projects to be taken forward under the London 2012 Olympic Truce.

Jeremy Browne: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) fully supports the Olympic Truce.
	Preparations for the London 2012 Truce are at an early stage. I have not yet held discussions with the Department for International Development on the Truce, but the FCO will discuss our contribution to the Truce as part of the overall preparations for the 2012 Olympics.

Tunisia: Aviation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what costs his Department has incurred in chartering aircraft to Tunisia in 2011;
	(2)  how many  (a) British and  (b) non-British nationals have used flights organised by his Department from Tunisia in 2011.

Alistair Burt: No flights were chartered for consular crisis reasons by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from Tunisia in 2011.

Tunisia: Aviation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of British nationals who have left Tunisia in 2011 on flights organised by other governments.

Alistair Burt: We do not have an accurate estimate of the number of British nationals that have left Tunisia on flights organised by other governments.

Western Sahara: Morrocco

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Western Sahara was discussed during his recent meeting with the Moroccan Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) met the Moroccan Minister for Foreign Affairs Taieb Fassi Fihri in London on 10 March 2011. They discussed Western Sahara in the context of the constitutional reforms announced by King Mohammed VI of Morocco in his speech of 9 March 2011. They also discussed the role of the new National Council of Human Rights which will have a regional office in Western Sahara.

Yemen

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date he last spoke to the President of Yemen.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) last spoke to President Saleh on his visit to Yemen on 9 February, when he discussed social, political and economic reform, as well as counter terrorism. I spoke to Yemeni Foreign Minister Dr Al-Qirbi on 19 March.

Yemen

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with members of the Friends of Yemen group; and what proposals have been discussed.

Alistair Burt: I am in frequent contact with a number of Friends of Yemen partners, including my EU counterparts, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and of course Yemen. Discussions have followed on from the previous meeting in September 2010 in New York, and how we could move forward to help Yemen tackle their political, economic and security challenges.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions: Housing

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will estimate the proportion of household carbon dioxide emissions which arose from  (a) lighting,  (b) heating,  (c) cooking and  (d) electrical appliances in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 29 March 2011
	DECC publishes estimates of how fuel use is broken down by end use in 'Energy Consumption in the United Kingdom':
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/publications/ecuk/ecuk.aspx
	Analysis of these data, when combined with emissions factors, indicate that lighting accounted for 7% of household emissions, heating for 65%, cooking for 4%, and electrical appliances for 24%.

Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will bring forward proposals to simplify the administration of the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme by removing or minimising the administrative  (a) cost to and  (b) burden on businesses.

Gregory Barker: Yes. The Government are committed to simplifying the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme in order to reduce the burden on participants while maintaining the incentives on participants to implement cost effective energy efficiency measures.
	We have laid an amendment order before the House containing the first tranche of amendments to the CRC. The order will postpone the start of phase 2 to give us a suitable window to consider and implement broader simplification measures. This amendment also reduces the administrative burden to over 12,000 organisations, by removing the requirement for organisations to make an information disclosure from phase 2 onwards. This order will come into force on 1 April 2011. I will bring forward further proposals later this year following consideration of the simplification proposals we have received from participants to date.

Feed-in Tariffs

Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  if his Department will produce an impact assessment on Cornwall as part of the fast-track review of the feed-in tariff scheme;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the potential number of  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time jobs to be created in solar photovoltaic farms in Cornwall under the feed-in tariff scheme by 2015; and what assessment he has made of the likely effect on this estimate of the outcome of the fast-track review of the feed-in tariff scheme.

Gregory Barker: Impacts of the fast-track proposals on Great Britain (GB) have been considered during the consultation stage and are reflected in the accompanying impact assessment which has been published on the DECC website:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/fit_review/fit_review.aspx
	The Department will not be producing a specific impact assessment for Cornwall.

Feed-in Tariffs

Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many megawatts of solar photovoltaic generating capacity have been installed in Cornwall and Devon since the launch of the feed-in tariff scheme.

Gregory Barker: Since the launch of the FITs scheme on 1 April 2010, the generating capacity of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations in Cornwall and Devon up to 31 December 2010 are:
	Devon-1.398 MW
	Cornwall-0.645 MW and 0.00376 MW on the Isles of Scilly
	In addition, there is a further 0.326 MW in Devon and 0.110 MW in Cornwall which were installed between 15 July 2009 and 31 March 2010 (when the FITs scheme was announced).

Public Bodies: Feed-in Tariffs

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 15 March 2011,  Official Report, column 296W, on renewable energy: feed-in-tariffs, if he will place in the Library details of the feed-in-tariff schemes in the 51 non-departmental public bodies receiving a revenue from feed-in-tariffs.

Gregory Barker: The Department does not hold that information.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on social landlords acting as electricity generators; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The feed-in tariffs (FITs) scheme does not exclude anyone from participating in the scheme. We recognise the contribution social landlords could make towards fuel poverty by participating in the scheme.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether each owner of a flat in a property with array capacity which may exceed 4KW in total who have separate electricity supply and meters are individually eligible for the 4.3 pence feed-in tariff.

Gregory Barker: A site is defined in the Standard Conditions of Electricity Supply Licence as:
	"the premises to which are attached one or more Accredited Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) installations or Eligible Installations in close geographical proximity to each other, to be determined by: a). the relevant meter point administration number for the electricity supply, b). street address, c). OS grid reference; and any other factors with the Authority (Ofgem) at its discretion views as relevant."
	Application of these is the responsibility of Ofgem who are the administrators of the scheme. It is therefore not within the Department's remit to make definitive statement on eligibility of particular schemes.

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the expenditure by the solar power industry in all stages of planning and development into solar photovoltaic installations above 1 megawatt since the introduction of the feed-in tariff scheme.

Gregory Barker: Information on development cost data are not collected as part of the administration of the Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) scheme.

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the written ministerial statement of 18 March 2011,  Official Report, column 32WS, on feed-in-tariffs (review), for what reasons he has set a target rate of return of five per cent. for the solar photovoltaic feed-in-tariffs; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: Feed-in tariff (FITs) levels were originally set to provide a target 5-8% return on investment across all technologies. Solar photovoltaic (PV) tariffs were set at the lower end of this range to reflect the ease of deployment; for example, solar PV installations up to 50kW do not require planning permission and are unlikely to require complex grid connections. In the fast-track review DECC is proposing revised tariffs in the light of emerging evidence that PV capital costs have fallen significantly since the start of the scheme and that large-scale projects are coming forward more quickly than originally expected. The aim is to target incentives towards smaller community and domestic installations, while keeping overall costs within the available budget.

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent representations he has received from community groups on his decision to launch a fast-track review of solar photovoltaic feed-in-tariffs for installation with generating capacity above 50 kilowatts.

Gregory Barker: Since the announcement of the fast-track review of solar photovoltaics (PV) the Department have received some representation from community groups. We expect wider input from this from the consultation on the fast-track review which was launched on 18 March and will close on 6 May 2011.

Water Power

Anna Soubry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the merits of greater utilisation of  (a) hydropower and  (b) water wheel turbines on rivers.

Gregory Barker: There have been several recent assessments of the UK's remaining hydropower potential, including old water wheel sites. These have estimated the remaining viable resource at between 850 MW and 1,550 MW, which is equivalent to 1% to 2% of current UK generating capacity. This represents a modest but useful contribution to our renewable energy and emission reduction targets. In addition, these small hydro schemes would ensure the active involvement of hundreds of businesses, communities and individuals in the transition to the low carbon economy.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent assessment is of the  (a) availability of and  (b) adequacy of supply to British forces in Afghanistan of equipment support materials for protected military platforms; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: holding answer 28 March 2011
	The availability and supply of support materials for protected military platforms is kept under constant review and replenishment action is initiated whenever required.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many urgent operational requirements have been implemented for platforms serving in Afghanistan  (a) with and  (b) without a support and maintenance contract in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: Over £4.9 billion has been approved through the Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR) process on equipment to meet emerging threats and requirements for Afghanistan since Operation Herrick began.
	During 2010, there were 71 modifications purchased under UOR arrangements fitted to existing fixed wing aircraft, helicopters, armoured vehicles, protected patrol vehicles and support vehicle platforms, in support of UK armed forces deployed in Afghanistan. Of these, 63 required and had a support and maintenance contract.

Armed Forces

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to ensure that the outcomes of planning round 11 in respect of capability are consistent with the policy objectives set out in the strategic defence and security review; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Fox: The policy objectives in the strategic defence and security review (SDSR) have provided the strategic direction for the Department's annual planning round, whose outcomes, therefore, will be consistent with the aims and objectives set out in the SDSR White Paper.

Armed Forces

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to report to the House monthly on the adherence of each service to harmony guidelines, including any instances of breaches and their extent.

Nick Harvey: No. To help get the work/life balance right for our service personnel, we have Harmony Guidelines for the length of time personnel spend away and the interval that they should have between operational tours. These allow commanding officers to judge the situation facing their personnel and give them the opportunity to take remedial measures where possible. They do not provide an overall measure of manning. In addition, Harmony figures are unlikely to change significantly month on month as they are calculated against a rolling period ranging over years.

Armed Forces

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of personnel in each armed service are in breach of their harmony guidelines; what assessment he has made of the effect of Operation Odyssey Dawn on the number of such people; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: Less than 1% of the Royal Navy, 6% of the Army and 5% of RAF personnel are operating above Harmony guidelines. Operation Ellamy, the UK name for the NATO operation in Libya, is still in its early days and its duration remains unclear, as does the eventual number of personnel deployed to the operation. As a result of this, it is not yet possible to assess the effect on harmony of this operation. Nonetheless, the impact of all periods of deployment on the harmony guidelines remains under scrutiny.

Armed Forces

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether armed forces personnel who are currently at lower readiness level will be deployed during Operation Odyssey Dawn; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: UK armed forces are operating as part of a coalition to enforce the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973. The UK component of this is known as Operation Ellamy. Operation Odyssey Dawn refers to the US contribution. UK forces personnel will be activated through a graduated response as required to support Operation Ellamy. However, where specific gaps in capability exist, personnel at a lower level of readiness may be deployed.

Armed Forces: Bahrain

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel of each service are stationed in Bahrain.

Nick Harvey: The following table shows the number of troops stationed in Bahrain:
	
		
			  Service  Endorsed number (as at 28 March 11)( 1) 
			 Naval 110 
			 Army 10 
			 Air Force 10 
			 (1) Rounded to the nearest 10 personnel 
		
	
	The precise number of personnel in theatre fluctuates on a daily basis for a variety of reasons, including mid-tour rest and recuperation, temporary absence for training, evacuation for medical reasons, the roulement of forces, visits and a range of other factors. We do not, therefore, publish actual figures for personnel deployed in theatre.

Armed Forces: Colchester

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how much rent for void properties his Department paid Annington Homes in Colchester constituency in financial year 2010-11;
	(2)  how many family houses on the defence estate in the Colchester constituency are unoccupied.

Peter Luff: As the majority of service family accommodation (SFA) may be unoccupied for only short periods and for various reasons between occupants, no calculation is made of the rent paid while SFA properties are void.
	As at 24 March 2011, 125 SFA properties were unoccupied.

Armed Forces: Colchester

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of HM Armed Forces based at Colchester Garrison are living in private sector accommodation rented by his Department.

Peter Luff: As at 23 March 2011, 408 service personnel based at Colchester were housed in substitute service single accommodation (SSSA) properties.
	SSSA is only ever used as a last resort in cases where service accommodation either does not exist or is not available to an individual's entitlement. Where a multi-occupant property is rented for SSSA, it will, as far as possible, be used to capacity.
	There are no families based at Colchester housed in substitute service family accommodation (SSFA).

Armed Forces: Conditions of Employment

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what legal status the proposed tri-service military covenant will have.

Nick Harvey: Provisions in the Armed Forces Bill, currently before Parliament, will require the Defence Secretary to present an armed forces covenant report to Parliament every year. Therefore, under this Government, for the first time the armed forces covenant will be referenced in law. This demonstrates the commitment of this Government to rebuild the armed forces covenant.

Armed Forces: Meat

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to increase the proportion of meat served to the armed forces which is produced in Britain.

Peter Luff: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Armed Forces, my hon. Friend the Member for North Devon (Nick Harvey), on 15 November 2010,  Official Report, column 555W, to the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Zac Goldsmith).

C-704 Missiles

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the ability of the SharpEye Solid-State Radar system to operate C-704 missiles.

Peter Luff: The SharpEye is a low power navigation radar largely used in civil applications. The C-704 missile system can use target information from a wide variety of radar systems, including the SharpEye.

Cougar

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the start date is for training exercise Cougar.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 29 March 2011
	 Current planning assumptions are for the Responsive Force Task Group to achieve a deployment date of 26 April, when it will start its Cougar training.

Defence: Procurement

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what work he expects to be undertaken on ships and submarines in each region in accordance with his Department's Terms of Business Agreement with  (a) Babcock and  (b) BAe.

Peter Luff: The Terms of Business Agreement (TOBA) with Babcock Marine (BM) provides a mechanism by which BM can be allocated work in the support of the Royal Navy's surface ships and submarines, and in the support of Her Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde and HMNB Devonport. The TOBA states that surface ship support work will be carried out at Devonport or Rosyth Dockyards. It also states that the deep maintenance of submarines will be carried out at Devonport Dockyard, with some support work being carried out at HMNB Clyde.
	The BAE Systems Surface Ships (BAES SS) TOBA allocates BAES SS work on the design, build, and support of complex warships. Design and build work on complex warships by BAES SS is currently carried out in Portsmouth and at their shipyard in Scotstoun and Govan; support work conducted by BAES SS under the TOBA is carried out in Portsmouth.

Departmental Early Retirement

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of his Department's staff have taken early retirement in each of the last five years; and at what cost to his Department in each such year.

Peter Luff: Staff exits are categorised in different ways for military personnel and civil servants.
	For military personnel, early exits consist of voluntary outflows (VO) and medical discharges. VO is used to describe exits from trained UK regular forces which are voluntarily generated by the individual before the end of their agreed engagement or commission period. The costs of VO and medical discharges could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Civil servants may leave or be dismissed on early retirement terms, with the financial consequences depending on the individual's circumstances. Where a pension is paid early, current rules generally require it to be actuarially reduced so that there is no extra cost to the Department. But arrangements may be put in place to buy out the actuarial reduction where voluntary exit schemes are required to enable the Department to reduce civilian staff numbers; and before the Civil Service Compensation Scheme was amended in 2010, some early retirements attracted an enhanced pension. Early payment of pension can be used for the purposes of medical retirement as well as for voluntary releases and redundancies.
	The numbers leaving on VO, medical discharge and early retirement are set out in the following table:
	
		
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 VO (military personnel)(1) n/a n/a n/a 8,970 6,430 
			 Medical discharge (military personnel)(2) 1,650 1,607 1,551 1,361 1,093 
			 Early retirement (civil servants)( 3) 1,280 1,375 1,700 1,010 855 
			 (1) Data are not kept in this format prior to 2008-09. (2) These figures represent calendar years 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. (3) These figures include MOD trading funds but exclude locally engaged civilians and members of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. 
		
	
	Costs for release, where the exit involves the early payment of pension other than on an actuarially reduced basis, are not separately identifiable and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether a sanction will be applied if a guarantee of realistic budgets for development, procurement and deployment is not fulfilled;
	(2)  with reference to his speech to the Institute of Civic Society of 22 February 2011, who is to  (a) provide and  (b) assess the guarantees of realistic budgets for development, procurement and deployment to be presented to Ministers.

Liam Fox: Project teams are responsible for ensuring that project proposals are tautly and realistically costed, drawing on expert advice. Their proposals are then subject to scrutiny by independent assurance teams. The Ministry of Defence Investment Approvals Board ensures that project approvals align with Defence priorities. The Defence Board and Ministers are ultimately responsible for ensuring that the equipment programme as a whole is affordable and deliverable, and for taking the decisions that are required to achieve this. In particular I have asked the Permanent Secretary and the Chief of Defence Materiel to examine our future programmes to ensure that their costs and risks are well understood and that the budget set aside for them is appropriate. In addition, I intend to chair a new Major Projects Review Board which will monitor major programmes on a quarterly basis to ensure that they are on time and within budget, to direct remedial action where necessary, and to hold those responsible to account.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to his speech to the Institute of Civic Society of 22 February 2011, whether he plans to publish the outcome of the examination of his Department's future programmes which he has commissioned.

Liam Fox: The examination of the Department's future programme is an internal process designed to inform ongoing work under Planning Round 2011. As such, we have no intention of publishing the findings.

Departmental Redundancy

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civil servants in his Department have been offered voluntary redundancy since April 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: No records are kept of the numbers of staff who are offered voluntary redundancy and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, between April 2010 and 1 March 2011, some 370 civil servants left the Ministry of Defence (including trading funds) on redundancy terms (this includes both voluntary and compulsory exits). These figures exclude other forms of paid early releases, including redundancy avoidance measures.

European Fighter Aircraft

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Typhoon aircraft were grounded because parts had been removed to keep other aircraft airborne on 9 March 2011.

Peter Luff: On 9 March 2011 three Typhoon aircraft were being used as donor airframes for cannibalised parts. This is a routine measure in the management of the fast jet fleet. None of these aircraft were in the forward fleet.

HMS Ark Royal

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will reverse the decision to withdraw HMS Ark Royal and its Harrier aircraft.

Peter Luff: holding answer 28 March 2011
	 No. In the context of the budgetary position we inherited from the previous Government, the strategic defence and security review set out the arguments underpinning the Government's decision to decommission HMS Ark Royal and remove the Harrier from service. It would have been unsustainable to retain a fleet of four fast jet types over the next decade.
	Recent events in North Africa have shown that the UK has extensive basing and over-flying rights to enable the full and effective projection of air power overseas with our Typhoon and Tornado fleets. Harrier aircraft cannot carry the range of weapons and reconnaissance capability that has been required for missions over Libya.

HMS Ark Royal

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of retaining HMS Ark Royal and its Harrier aircraft for the next four years.

Peter Luff: holding answer 28 March 2011
	HMS Ark Royal and the Harrier aircraft were withdrawn from service at the end of 2010 as a consequence of decisions taken during the Strategic Defence and Security Review. While there are no plans to retain these capabilities in operational service, the costs of doing so would have been broadly comparable to the savings we expect to achieve from withdrawing them. We estimate the savings from withdrawing Ark Royal to be £10 million in 2011-12, £25 million in 2012-13, £35 million in 2013-14 and £35 million in 2014-15. Savings from retiring the Harrier aircraft are estimated at around £900 million between now and 2018.

HMS Cumberland

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date HMS Cumberland is due to be decommissioned.

Peter Luff: HMS Cumberland is presently in the Mediterranean supporting enforcement action against Libya under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973. We have decided that she should remain there until she can be replaced by another suitably prepared and equipped destroyer or frigate. Because of this, her withdrawal from service will be postponed from 1 April 2011 until around the end of the month.

HMS Tireless: HMS Turbulent

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to make any part of the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator's report into the incidents on HMS Tireless and HMS Turbulent publicly available.

Peter Luff: I will place a copy of the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator's investigation into 'Babcock Event No 19720: Failure To Reinstate Primary Safety Systems' in the Library of the House before the end of May 2011, following a review to ascertain whether any sensitive information is required to be withheld.

Major Projects Review Board

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what criteria are applied to determine whether a procurement project is classified as a project of concern by his Department's Major Projects Review Board;
	(2)  on how many occasions his Department's Major Projects Review Board has met;
	(3)  who sits on his Department's Major Projects Review Board.

Liam Fox: As I announced last month, the Ministry of Defence's Major Projects Review Board (MPRB) will meet on a quarterly basis. The first meeting of the MPRB will therefore be held early in the first quarter of financial year 2011-12.
	The MPRB will be chaired by myself supported by the Minister for Defence Equipment Support and Technology, the Chief of Defence Materiel and other officials as appropriate.
	Projects will be reviewed in terms of performance, cost, and time. Projects forecasting significant slippage, cost growth, or performance shortfalls would lead to their being placed on the "projects of concern" list.

Merville Barracks

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department paid for renting accommodation in the private sector for those military personnel for whom there is no accommodation available at Merville Barracks, Colchester in financial year 2010-11.

Peter Luff: To date in financial year 2010-11, a total of 186 service personnel identified as being based at Merville Barracks, were accommodated in substitute service single accommodation (SSSA). A total of 68 SSSA properties were rented for this purpose at a total cost of £687,684,
	SSSA is only ever used as a last resort in cases where service accommodation either does not exist or is not available to an individual's entitlement.
	Where a multi-occupant property is rented for SSSA, it will, as far as possible, be used to capacity.

Military Tattoos

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) military tattoos,  (b) military festivals and  (c) other military events open to the public will be held in 2011; and how much expenditure will be incurred by his Department in respect of each such event.

Nick Harvey: In addition to Armed Forces Day and Welcome Home Parades, that give members of the public the opportunity to show their support for our Service personnel returning from operations, there are two Military Tattoos planned for 2011 and their associated planned expenditure is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Event  Planned expenditure  (£) 
			 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo 0 
			 Royal International Air Tattoo 0 
		
	
	The following table lists military festivals and other military events currently planned to take place during 2011:
	
		
			  Event  Planned expenditure (£) 
			 Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton Air Show 0 
			 Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose Air Show 0 
			   
			 Aldershot Garrison Show 0 
			 Abingdon Station Open Day 0 
			 Royal Engineer Association Open Day 0 
			 4 Regiment Royal Artillery Company Open Day 0 
			 Preston Military Show 20,000 
			 Stirling Military Show 34,000 
			   
			 Royal Air Force Cosford Air Show 0 
			 Royal Air Force Waddington International Air Show 0 
			 Royal Air Force Leuchars Air Show 0 
			  Note: Most of the above events are sponsored by commercial organisations and as a result involve negligible costs to the Ministry of Defence. These costs are largely concerned with marketing, and are recouped through ticket sales or from the commercial partner.

Nimrod Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how long the Nimrod R1 will remain operational; what factors were considered in the decision to postpone the retirement of the Nimrod R1; and what plans he has for the future use of the aircraft in theatre.

Liam Fox: The original decision to withdraw the Nimrod R1 from service was taken in 2008 by the previous Government. However, in view of current events in Libya one Nimrod R1 aircraft is being kept in the region for up to three months in support of UNSCR 1973. This is a pragmatic decision given the aircraft is already in the region but is subject to continuous review of the Alliance's operational requirement.

Peacekeeping Operations

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many urgent operational requirement requests were made in each of the last five years; how many such requests resulted in an equipment purchase; and what the total cost of such purchases was in each year.

Peter Luff: Over the last five years, the Ministry of Defence has approved some 820 requests for funding for equipment through the urgent operational requirements process for Iraq and Afghanistan, at a cost of around £5.7 billion. Based on centrally available records the breakdown for each of the last five financial years is estimated as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year (FY)  Number approved( 1)  Total approval cost( 1)  (£ million) 
			 2006-07 230 790 
			 2007-08 240 1,550 
			 2008-09 150 1,400 
			 2009-10 100 840 
			 2010-11 100 1,130 
			 Total 820 5,710 
			 (1) Nearest 10 
		
	
	These figures include the protected mobility package (financial year 2008-09) and light protected patrol vehicle programme (financial year 2010-11).
	For financial year 2010-11, the figures given are the approval for the financial year to date, noting that it is not yet complete.
	The estimate of the number of requests for funding we have approved includes some business cases that have been subject to re-approvals as requirements have evolved, and some that will have been provided for both Iraq and Afghanistan. For these reasons, a single capability may have been counted more than once in these numbers.

Radioactive Waste

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 22 March 2011,  Official Report, column 947W, on radioactive waste, if he will send for publication in the  Official Report the text of the letter sent to the hon. Member for Newport West.

Peter Luff: The information requested will take some time to collate and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as this is completed. All letters following up answers to parliamentary questions are published in the  Official Report.

Saudi Arabia: Military Aid

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many short-term training teams have been sent to the Saudi Arabian National Guard in each year since 2007; and how many courses taught by such teams covered  (a) internal security training,  (b) public order training and  (c) sniper training;
	(2)  whether the British Military Mission to the Saudi Arabian National Guard is still in operation.

Nick Harvey: The British Military Mission to the Saudi Arabian National Guard continues to operate as an essential part of our bilateral relationship.
	Training forms an integral part of the British Military Mission's activity.
	It is not possible to provide a breakdown of the details of individual programmes without prejudicing relations between the UK and other states.

Tornado Aircraft

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of retaining the Tornado aircraft fleet for the next four years.

Peter Luff: holding answer 28 March 2011
	I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 November 2010,  Official Report, columns 318-9W, to the hon. Member for Portsmouth North (Penny Mordaunt).

Trident

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date payment is due for items already commissioned for Trident replacement; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of items commissioned for which payment has not yet been made.

Peter Luff: I have interpreted this question as relating to long lead items for the replacement Vanguard class submarine. There are no outstanding payments against commitments made for long lead items ahead of the initial gate decision.

Trident

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the increase in the cost of the Trident replacement programme as a result of delays introduced by project extensions.

Nick Harvey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Worcestershire (Peter Luff), on 14 March 2011,  Official Report, column 7, to the hon. Member for Bolton West (Julie Hilling).

PRIME MINISTER

Yemen

Keith Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister on what date he last spoke to the President of Yemen.

David Cameron: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), on 24 March 2011,  Official Report, column 1121.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Homelessness: Finance

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has allocated to each local authority in England under each category of homelessness grant for 2011-12; and what criteria were used in determining such allocations.

Grant Shapps: Despite the record deficit inherited we are maintaining investment in homelessness grant at £100 million a year for each of the next four years. For 2011-12, we have announced allocations of £81.5 million for local authorities and £18.5 million for the voluntary sector. As part of our reforms to reduce the number of separate local authority grants, a further £8.5 million to tackle fraud and under-occupation has been integrated to provide a single allocation of Preventing Homelessness Grant for local authorities in 2011-12 totalling £90 million.
	A list of allocations of Preventing Homelessness Grant to individual local authorities in 2011-12 has been placed in the Library of the House.
	There are a number of factors that were considered in determining allocations, but a very significant one is the need to support work to tackle rough sleeping. We have also sought to maintain the level of grant for individual authorities, including rolling forward the additional £10 million allocated to London authorities during 2010-11 to support implementation of welfare reform measures. Westminster council's allocation for 2011-12 is £8.325 million.
	These allocations have been confirmed for 2011-12 and published as provisional figures at the same level for 2012-13. We intend to consult in due course on proposed allocations for 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Solar Power: Planning Permission

Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many solar photovoltaic schemes exceeding 1 megawatt in  (a) Cornwall and Devon and  (b) the UK have received planning permission since the inception of the feed-in tariff scheme.

Bob Neill: Information on planning permissions for solar photovoltaic schemes exceeding 1 MW, including when they were granted, will be available from individual local planning authorities but is not collected by this Department. The Renewable Energy Planning Database, accessible via the Department for Energy and Climate Change's website, includes data on solar photovoltaic projects but the statistics may not include all recently consented developments because of the time lag in collecting data.

CABINET OFFICE

National Security Council

Jim Murphy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on which dates the National Security Council has met in 2011 to date; and in each such case  (a) how many Ministers attended,  (b) which Ministers attended,  (c) for how long the Council met and  (d) what items were on the agenda.

Oliver Letwin: The National Security Council is a Cabinet Committee that typically meets once a week for an hour to consider matters relating to National Security, Foreign Policy, Defence, International Relations and Development, Resilience, Energy and Resource Security. Since January 2011 it has met on the following dates: 11, 18 and 25 January; 1, 8, 15, 25 and 28 February; and 1, 4, 8, 15, 17 and 22 March.
	Consistent with longstanding practice, information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet and Cabinet committees, including agendas and attendance, is generally not disclosed as to do so would put at risk the public interest in both collective responsibility and the full and frank discussion of policy by Ministers. Ministers will more effectively reach collective decisions if they are able to debate questions of policy freely and in confidence.
	Decisions taken by Cabinet or its Committees are binding on all members of the Government under the principle of collective decision-making, irrespective of whether they are able to attend a particular meeting or not. The maintenance of this convention is fundamental to the continued effectiveness of Cabinet government, and is therefore in the public interest.

Big Society Initiative

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what representations he has received on the resignation of Phil Redmond as Chair of the Liverpool vanguard big society pilot; and if he will make a statement'
	(2)  if he will assess the progress made by the vanguard pilot for the big society in Liverpool at the point at which it ended.

Nick Hurd: Phil Redmond has not resigned. He remains committed to the Liverpool big society vanguard pilot and continues to work closely with the Government to address barriers in the way of action to re-energise volunteering in the city. The Cabinet Office has no plans to assess the progress of the vanguard pilot.

Departmental Meetings

Jim Murphy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on how many occasions Cabinet Office Briefing Room has met in 2011 to date; on what date each meeting was held, and for what duration; which Ministers attended each meeting; and what the agenda was of each meeting.

Francis Maude: COBR has met a number of times this year, including to co-ordinate the response to events in Libya and Japan. Information about the actual dates, duration, attendance and agendas of individual meetings are not normally disclosed both on grounds of national security and because they relate to internal discussion and advice.

Departmental Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which public bodies sponsored by his Department  (a) have been and  (b) are to be closed, merged or reorganised following his appointment; and how many (i) women and (ii) men who are public appointees at each body will no longer hold such an appointment in consequence.

Francis Maude: The coalition Government are committed to increasing the accountability of public bodies, and this involves reducing their number and their cost to the taxpayer. The proposals for the majority of bodies across all Departments was announced and published on 14 October 2010. An updated list reflecting changes since October 2010 has been published on the Cabinet Office website.
	As a result of the reforms to the Cabinet Office public bodies, the number of women and men who will no longer hold public appointment positions is as follows:
	
		
			Public appointment positions that will no longer be held 
			  Body  Reform  Male  Female 
			 Capacitybuilders No longer a NDPB 6 2 
			 Commission for the Compact No longer a NDPB 3 1 
			 OCS Advisory Body No longer a NDPB 7 7 
			 Civil Service Appeals Board No longer a NDPB 13 7 
			 Government Strategic Marketing Advisory Board No longer a NDPB 5 6 
			 Main Honours Advisory Committee No longer a NDPB 0 0' 
			 National School of Government No longer a NMD 0 0 
			 Security Commission No longer a NDPB 3 0

INDEPENDENT PARLIAMENTARY STANDARDS AUTHORITY COMMITTEE

Childcare Salary Supplement Scheme

Caroline Lucas: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, for what reasons the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority decided to  (a) remove the childcare salary supplement scheme for new hon. Members' staff and replace it with a salary sacrifice scheme,  (b) take the childcare salary supplement scheme payments for returning hon. Members' staff from the staffing budget rather than a central budget and  (c) operate different childcare support arrangements for new hon. Members' staff and returning hon. members' staff.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	 Letter from Scott Woolveridge, dated March 2011 :
	As Interim Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for what reasons the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority decided to:
	a) remove the childcare salary supplement scheme for new members' staff and replace it with a salary sacrifice scheme;
	b) take the childcare salary supplement scheme payments for returning members' staff from the staffing budget rather than a central budget and
	c) operate different childcare support arrangements for new members' staff and returning members' staff
	IPSA took the decision to offer new MPs' staff members a salary sacrifice scheme for childcare vouchers on the basis that this type of scheme is common practice across large parts of the public and private sector.
	The childcare salary supplement scheme payments for returning MPs' staff is taken from the staffing budget on the grounds that these payments form part of MPs' overall staffing costs and should therefore fall under this budget category.
	The reason IPSA operates separate arrangements for returning MPs' staff and new MPs' staff is because IPSA did not want to alter existing contractual arrangements in this regard for returning MPs' staff, but wanted to bring the practice for new MPs' staff into line with the practice that is common across most sectors.

Childcare Salary Supplement Scheme

Caroline Lucas: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what estimate the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) has made of the financial benefit per month to a member of staff with two children under five working full-time for an hon. Member under  (a) the salary supplement scheme and  (b) the salary sacrifice scheme in the latest period for which figures are available; what consultation IPSA undertook on the equity of the changes made to such childcare support arrangements; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	 Letter from Scott Woolveridge, dated March 2011:
	As Interim Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) has made of the financial benefit per month to a member of staff with two children under five working full time for an hon. Member would receive under (a) the salary supplement scheme and (b) the salary sacrifice scheme in the latest period for which figures are available; and what consultation IPSA undertook on the equity of the changes made to such childcare support arrangements.
	The financial benefit per month based on a salary supplement scheme would be £336 per month for an employee who has two children under the age of 5 years. This £336 would be subject to income tax and national insurance contribution and the exact amount will therefore vary per employee. The benefit for employees in receipt of childcare vouchers is the difference between the net and gross amount of the salary sacrifice, which can be up to £243 per month, irrespective of the number of children they have.
	IPSA consulted in January 2010 on whether to provide childcare support but did not consult on what system of support to provide. Following this consultation, IPSA took the decision to retain the salary supplement system for staff already in receipt of this support, but to offer the staff of new MPs, and IPSA's own staff, a salary sacrifice scheme for childcare vouchers on the basis that such schemes are common across large parts of the public and private sector.

Consultants: Recruitment

Helen Jones: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what the cost to the public purse was of the recruitment consultancy services used for the recruitment of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority's incoming compliance officer.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	 Letter from Scott Woolveridge, dated March 2011:
	As acting Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the cost to the public purse for the recruitment consultancy services used for the recruitment of the incoming compliance officer.
	IPSA agreed to a fee of £1,500 + VAT for the recruitment consultancy services used for the recruitment of the Compliance Officer for IPSA, an office provided for in statute by the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009, as amended by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.
	The recruitment consultancy's services included providing assistance in drawing up a job specification, preparing and placing the advertisement for the job in the Sunday Times, updating and advertising the vacancy on a dedicated micro-website, and undertaking an initial sift of the 60 applications received in response to the advertisement.

Personnel: Pay

John Spellar: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, pursuant to the answer of 14 March 2011,  Official Report, column 3W, on employment, whether the three members of staff received any payment on their departure from the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	 Letter from Scott Woolveridge,  dated  March 2011:
	As acting Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2011, Official Report, column 3W, on employment, whether the three members of staff received any payment on their departure from the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.
	The members of staff did not receive any payment on their departure.

Stress

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what arrangements are in place in the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority to  (a) reduce levels of work-based stress and  (b) provide assistance to staff diagnosed with such stress.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	 Letter from Scott Woolveridge, dated March 2011:
	As Interim Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what arrangements are in place to a) reduce levels of work-based stress and b) provide assistance to staff diagnosed with such stress.
	IPSA seeks to promote a healthy work-life balance for its employees. IPSA has recently developed a stress risk assessment which managers will shortly start using to identify symptoms of stress in both individuals and teams. The assistance provided will depend on the cause of stress.

HEALTH

Blood: Contamination

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will assess the merits of allowing those who are newly-eligible for compensation for contaminated blood to claim funds from the Skipton Fund on an ongoing basis instead of imposing a deadline of 31 March 2011;
	(2)  whether he undertook any consultation before establishing a deadline of 31 March 2011 for claims by those newly-eligible for compensation in respect of contaminated blood to claim funds from the Skipton Fund;
	(3)  if he will extend the deadline for claimants of compensation for contaminated blood to the Skipton Fund in cases where it can be demonstrated that it was not possible to make claimants aware of new arrangements within the time allowed;
	(4)  for what reasons he established a deadline of 31 March 2011 for claims to the Skipton Fund by those affected by contaminated blood.

Anne Milton: When the deadline of 31 March 2011 was announced 10 January 2011, it gave potential claimants 12 weeks to register their intention to make a claim with the Skipton Fund. It is not essential for claimants to obtain all of the necessary evidence to support their claim by that date. The deadline was decided without consultation. Due to the uncertainty of how many applications there may be in respect of those who died pre-2003, we will not know by 31 March 2011 whether all claims have come forward. However, the Skipton Fund will consider registrations that are made after 31 March 2011, on a case by case basis, where there is a valid reason for the applicant to have missed the registration deadline.

Food Standards Agency: Pensions

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the proposed meat hygiene inspection charges will be allocated to the payments in respect of pensions of staff of the Food Standards Agency.

Anne Milton: The full cost of delivering official controls to the Great Britain meat industry is budgeted at £55 million for 2011-12. This figure includes two elements of pension cost to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) as follows:
	(1) Employer pension contributions of £2.9 million.
	(2) Pension deficit cost of £4.7 million. (The total cost to the FSA is estimated by external actuaries to be £5.6 million of which the proportion included in the cost of industry work is £4.7 million). This cost is volatile, varies with actuarial assumptions, and future charges will be adjusted in line with any fluctuations.
	Therefore, the proportion of pension cost in the total cost of delivering official controls is £7.6 million out of a total of £55 million (14%).

Hospitals: Admissions

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of emergency readmissions to hospital in each NHS hospital trust in England occurred within 30 days of discharge in each of the last 13 years.

Simon Burns: Emergency readmissions are normally defined as emergency admissions occurring within 28 days of discharge following an admission for the same patient. The proportion of such readmissions occurring within 30 days of discharge is therefore, by definition, 100%. A table containing information on the number of emergency readmissions by national health service hospital trust for the years 1999-2000 to 2008-09 has been placed in the Library.

NHS Trusts

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that small and medium-sized businesses are notified of any contract tendered for by NHS Trusts.

Simon Burns: The Department is committed to encouraging the national health service to comply with the transparency requirements that apply to all Government bodies as set out in the Cabinet Office guidance. This includes the requirement for procurers to publish tender information so that small and medium-sized businesses have good notice of all tender opportunities. Indeed the Department will shortly be communicating with the NHS to remind them of these requirements.

NHS: Surveys

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2010,  Official Report, column 1074W, on NHS: surveys, when he expects data from the findings of the Ipsos MORI six-monthly surveys from March 2008 to March 2010 on public perceptions of the NHS to be published on his Department's website; and when he expects data from the December 2010 survey to be made available.

Simon Burns: Since 2000, the Department has commissioned, from Ipsos MORI, tracking surveys of public attitudes towards the national health service and social care. The reports from March 2008 to March 2010 have been published on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/PublishedSurvey/ListOfSurveySince1990/Generalsurveys/DH_4129933
	We are awaiting the final report from Ipsos MORI for the survey conducted during November/December 2010. Future surveys will be published in line with the Department's freedom of information publication scheme.

Pressure Sores

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has any plans to require  (a) foundation trusts and  (b) acute trusts to measure the incidence of pressure sores; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: All foundation trusts and trusts are required to report via the Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES) dataset. Pressure sores (decubitus ulcer) should be recorded in HES under the ICD-10 code L89. Depth of coding varies significantly between trusts, and pressure sores are often a secondary diagnosis; measuring the incidence of pressure sores is complex, as it requires recording of whether or not a pressure sore was present on admission to hospital.
	The NHS Information Centre is currently developing a Safety Thermometer, which measures prevalence of pressure sores (and a number of other avoidable adverse events) more systematically in a group of foundation trusts and trusts who have volunteered to take part.

Processed Food: Labelling

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has made an estimate of the quantity of processed food sold in Britain which is not labelled as genetically modified (GM) but has been produced using GM food.

Anne Milton: Under European Union regulations, food labels must indicate when the food contains or consists of genetically modified (GM) organisms, or contains ingredients that are produced from GM organisms. However, this labelling requirement does not apply to small proportions of GM ingredients (below 0.9%) if they are accidentally present. Information on the quantity of food that contains unlabelled GM ingredients is not available.

Surgery

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations in each acute hospital trust were cancelled in each of the last 13 years.

Simon Burns: The number of operations which are cancelled for non-clinical reasons on or after the day of admission, has been published by the Department on a quarterly basis since 1996-97. Trust level data were collected for the first time in 2001-02 and are not available prior to then. Information on the number of cancelled elective operations in each acute trust for the financial years 2001-02 to 2010-11 year-to date is contained in tables which have been placed in the Library.

Venous Thromboembolism

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Prevention Board and the VTE Three Professions Group were consulted on the development of VTE indicators in the NHS Safety Thermometer recently published by the Quality, Innovation, Prevention and Productivity Safe Care Safety Express workstream.

Simon Burns: In developing the NHS Safety Thermometer the Quality, Innovation, Prevention and Productivity Safe Care workstream worked with approximately 100 national health service organisations to develop an audit tool to measure the incidence of four key safety issues: pressure ulcers, venous thromboembolism (VTE), falls and catheter use.
	The Safe Care Workstream have been invited to present at the next VTE Prevention Board in July to agree the next steps for the work in the context of the planned inclusion of indicators on VTE as part of the Outcomes Framework for the NHS. The VTE Three Professions Group are represented on this Board.

Wheelchairs

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospitals have indicated to his Department that they have a shortage of wheelchairs.

Simon Burns: The Department has received no representations from hospitals indicating a shortage of wheelchairs.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Access to Work Programme

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions under his proposed changes to the Access to Work scheme, at what stage of the job-seeking process funding will be provided to a claimant.

Maria Miller: Access to Work provides financial help towards the extra costs faced by people with a disability in work, where this goes beyond what would be reasonable for an employer to meet. Access to Work supported 37,210 disabled people during 2009-10.
	From 9 December 2010, disabled job seekers have been able to find out immediately if they are eligible for Access to Work support by completing a short online questionnaire at Directgov. If eligible, they will be able to print off a new 'Pre-Employment Eligibility Letter' which will help when applying for jobs and can be shown to prospective employers.
	The Government have announced an independent review of the employment support they provide to people with disability-related barriers to work.
	This review is designed to ensure that Department for Work and Pensions' specialist disability employment programmes provide the very best value for money and meet the needs of disabled people in finding and sustaining work and building fulfilling careers. The review will include Access to Work.
	The review will report in summer 2011 with recommendations on how existing specialist support for disabled people can better serve the Department's wide ranging customer base.

Children: Maintenance

Neil Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disputes between partners about levels of child support payable in cases where one or both former partners were self-employed the Child Support Agency and its successor recorded in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many disputes between partners about levels of child support payable in cases where one or both former partners were self-employed the Child Support Agency and its successor recorded in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.
	If a client believes that the decisions taken on their case are incorrect they can dispute this and ask for the decision to be reconsidered. The nature of disputes is not routinely recorded by the Child Support Agency. If the client feels that their issue has not been resolved they can escalate the decision to appeal which is an independent review of the decision by the Tribunal Service. This information is recorded and is provided as follows.
	The table shows the total number of appeals against a Child Support Agency decision including the number where one or both former partners were self-employed. The level of child support payable may be one of several reasons for an appeal in a single case and a more detailed breakdown is not available.
	
		
			   Total appeals  Appeals involving a self-employed parent 
			 2006 7,666 1,541 
			 2007 7,356 1,550 
			 2008 8,703 1,619 
			 2009 6,918 1,089 
			 2010 5,798 1,156 
			 Total 36,441 6,955 
			  Note: Records are based on the calendar year. 
		
	
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Departmental Public Bodies

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the Disability Employment Advisory Committee.

Maria Miller: On 16 March 2011,  Official Report, columns 9-10WS, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr Maude) issued a written ministerial statement updating Parliament on progress on public bodies reform. That statement also announced that Departments estimate cumulative administrative savings of at least £2.6 billion will flow from public bodies over the spending review period.
	I estimate net overall administrative savings from the Disability Employment Advisory Committee over the spending review period of £314,000.
	This is our best estimate of planned net savings to emerge from these reforms. The Disability Employment Advisory Committee has closed with effect from 30 November 2010.

Departmental Regulation

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many regulations sponsored by his Department have been  (a) introduced since 22 November 2010 and  (b) revoked since 12 May 2010.

Chris Grayling: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Disability Living Allowance: Scotland

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in  (a) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency,  (b) South Lanarkshire and  (c) Scotland have had disability living allowance withdrawn since May 2010.

Maria Miller: Information is not available on the National Statistics datasets to identify disability living allowance claimants that have had their claim withdrawn.
	The Department does collect some limited management information on the outcomes of initial claims for disability living allowance, however it is not of sufficient quality or completeness to provide a robust answer. This information does not include subsequent withdrawals by the claimant or as a result of fraud investigation. In addition, it is only available at processing unit level, not constituency, local authority area or country.
	Information is available to identify the number of claimants with entitlement to disability living allowance where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. At May 2010, there were 27,740 cases with entitlement to disability living allowance where the payment has been suspended.

Disability Living Allowance: Wales

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with the Welsh Assembly Government on his proposals to remove the mobility element of disability living allowance for those resident in care homes.

Maria Miller: I have written to the Deputy Minister for Social Services at the Welsh Assembly (Gwenda Thomas) about this and disability living allowance reform more generally.
	I guarantee that this measure is not intended to reduce the mobility of residents in care homes. It aims to remove any overlap, not remove severely disabled people's ability to get out and about. We are now considering mobility provision in care homes as part of our wider reform of disability living allowance, not beforehand.
	In addition, officials at the Department for Work and Pensions are in regular contact with their counterparts in the Wales Office as work on reform of disability living allowance and its replacement with personal independence payment progresses. In addition, officials for the Welsh Assembly are members of the cross-Whitehall working group on reform of disability living allowance and have been sent updates.

Employment and Support Allowance: Disability

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of  (a) disabled people and  (b) people with cancer on contributory-based employment and support allowance (ESA) in the Work-Related Activity Group who exceed the means testing threshold for income-based ESA.

Maria Miller: The information requested is given as follows.
	
		
			  All employment and support allowance claimants: Great Britain, May 2010 
			   Total number of claimants  Support Group  Work-Related Activity Group 
			 All claimants 527,120 39,110 109,270 
			 People with cancer 20,030 8,200 2,250 
		
	
	
		
			  Employment and support allowance claimants by payment type: Great Britain, May 2010 
			   Claimants with a contributory element  Credit only cases 
			   In Support Group  Work-Related Activity Group  In Support Group  Work-Related Activity Group 
			 All claimants 21,470 57,600 340 730 
			 People with cancer 6,340 1,670 120 20 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10; totals may not sum due to rounding. 2. Benefit type-The type of employment and support allowance (ESA) is defined as pay status at the caseload date-this may differ to the status at the start or end of the claim. 3. Employment and support allowance replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008. 4. This analysis does not include those with unknown or assessment phase/stage. 5. Phase/stage of ESA claim is only available from February 2010 onwards. The phase is derived from payment details held on the source system. 6. Information on whether an ESA claimant is disabled as defined by the Equality Act 2010 is not readily available, therefore the whole claimant figure is provided. 7. 'People with cancer' is by primary assessment only and includes malignant neoplasms, benign neoplasms and neoplasms of uncertain or unknown behaviour. 8. 'Credits only cases' includes those who exceed the means testing threshold for income-based ESA.  Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Employment and Support Allowance: Kirkcaldy

Gordon Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency have been in receipt of employment and support allowance payments for more than one year.

Maria Miller: Information on the numbers of claimants who have been receiving employment and support allowance for over 1 year (as at May 2010) is as follows:
	
		
			   More than one year 
			 Great Britain 114,310 
			 Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath 190 
			  Notes: 1. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest 10; some additional disclosure control has also been applied. 2. ESA data are now available on the Department's website at http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html 3. ESA replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008. 4. Data include those claimants receiving "credits only".  Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Funeral Payments

Iain Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for the future of his Department's arrangements for funeral payments and related matters; what recent  (a) discussions he has had with and  (b) representations he has received from others on funeral payments and related matters; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: Funeral payments are not being considered as part of the wider plans for reform of the Social Fund as announced in the "White Paper Universal Credit: welfare that works". Funeral payments will sit outside universal credit and will continue to be delivered by the Department.
	I met representatives of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Funerals and Bereavement and the National Association of Funeral Directors on the 6 of December 2010. At that meeting we discussed a range of issues including the powers we are taking in the Welfare Reform Bill to extend access to social fund budgeting loans to include funeral costs and maternity items. This change will provide additional support to those on low incomes at expensive times in their lives.

Housing Benefit: Jobseeker's Allowance

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what definition of reasonable job offer his Department plans to use in determining whether a person in receipt of jobseeker's allowance should continue to be entitled to housing benefit.

Steve Webb: As now, where a claimant does not demonstrate good cause or reason when failing to apply for, or accept, a job when informed of that job by an employment officer of the Department, or where a claimant fails to avail him or herself of a suitable employment opportunity, then that claimant's jobseeker's allowance may be subject to a sanction.
	The imposition of such a sanction would have no impact on entitlement for housing benefit. Entitlement to housing benefit will remain as now, with receipt of income-based jobseeker's allowance providing linked entitlement to full eligible housing benefit (which continues even when a JSA sanction is imposed).
	Under proposals in the welfare reform White Paper, 'Universal Credit: welfare that works', where a jobseeker's allowance claimant fails to accept a job offer, he or she will be liable to a sanction of three months for a first failure, six months for a second and then three years for a third failure.

Poverty: Children

Gordon Birtwistle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department plans to take to reach the Government's targets for the ending of child poverty.

Maria Miller: The Government are committed to tackling child poverty, as the coalition document affirms. We will be stating how we intend to do this in the forthcoming child poverty strategy, to be published shortly.

Social Fund

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the  (a) capacity and  (b) propensity of applicants for support from the Social Fund to access credit from (i) mainstream providers, (ii) high-cost credit lenders and (iii) credit unions.

Steve Webb: We do not have comprehensive information in this area. In respect of credit unions, there are a high number of growth fund loan users who also have declared that they have a social fund loan with the average amount across the country being 31%, with a range of 12% in East of England and 59% in the North East (figures to February 2011).

Social Fund: Airdrie

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Social Fund  (a) budgeting loans,  (b) crisis loans and  (c) community care grants for the purpose of buying television sets over the value of (i) £500 and (ii) £1,000 were made in Airdrie and Shotts constituency in each of the last five years.

Steve Webb: In the case of budgeting loans, applicants are asked to tick which of seven categories they need help for, but are not asked to specify the items they require. Television sets would come under the category 'to buy furniture or household equipment'. Data are not available on the number of awards for each category.
	The number of crisis loans or community care grants initially awarded for the purpose of buying television sets over the value of (i) £500 or (ii) £1,000 to residents of Airdrie and Shotts constituency in each of the financial years 2005-06 to 2009-10 was extremely low, being recorded as nil or negligible.
	 Notes :
	1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National Statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, the information given does not include applications which were processed clerically and had not been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System by the end of the relevant financial year.
	2. Data are available for initial awards only. No information is available on the number of awards of the type described which were made after review.
	3. Exact numbers have not been given for data protection reasons. 'Nil or negligible' means less than five.
	 Source
	Department for Work and Pensions Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will put in place measures to ensure that disabled people in  (a) North Swindon constituency and  (b) England are made aware of (i) policy changes that may affect them and (ii) the support that is available in dealing with such changes.

Maria Miller: The Treasury published the document, "Overview of Impact of the Spending Review 2010 on Equalities" alongside the spending review announcement. And we have published a summary of the changes which affect disabled people on the Department for Work and Pensions' website at:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/adviser/updates/spending-review-2010
	where people are able to register for updates to help keep them fully informed.
	We work with disabled people, who can tell us about the overall effect of public policy and services on their lives, in order to inform policy and strategy development. We will continue to communicate as widely as possible with disabled people about how we can make reforms which enable economic recovery, while ensuring that the impact on disabled people and other disadvantaged groups remains proportionate.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has commissioned independent assessments to assess the effect of his proposed reform of the mobility component of disability living allowance for  (a) people with autism,  (b) people with sight impairment,  (c) people with Downs' Syndrome and  (d) carers; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Miller: Consideration was given to the equality impacts of the reforms when the proposals were being developed, including the impacts on those with specific conditions. At this point the new assessment has not been finalised and the impact on carers and particular groups of people with disabilities will only be determined when this is completed.
	The impact assessment for disability living allowance reform was published on 16 February 2011 and can found at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/dla-reform-wr2011-ia.pdf
	The equality impact assessment for disability living allowance reform was published on 8 March 2011 and can found at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/eia-dla-reform-wr2011.pdf
	These Documents are published by the Department for Work and Pensions and not commissioned independently.
	People were also invited to put forward their views on this proposal as part of the wider DLA reform consultation document which was published on 6 December 2010 and ended on 18 February 2011. The response to this consultation will be published shortly.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has commissioned independent assessments to assess the effect of his proposed reforms to the independent living fund on  (a) people with autism,  (b) people with sight impairment,  (c) people with Downs' syndrome and  (d) carers; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Miller: The Government's position on the Independent Living Fund was set out in the written ministerial statement issued on 13 December 2010,  Official Report, column 85WS.
	This made clear that the Independent Living Fund will remain closed permanently to new applications and we will safeguard the position of existing recipients by carrying out a formal consultation on future support for existing ILF users while continuing to administer their awards throughout this Parliament. This consultation will take place following the publication of the report by the Commission on the Funding of Care and Support.
	I have met with a number of disability organisations and other bodies to discuss the future of the Independent Living Fund. These include the Chair of Equality 2025, the All Party Parliamentary Group oh Disability, and the Disability Charities Consortium and the Disabled Peoples Organisations Group.
	It is important to remember that local authorities have primary responsibility for the care of disabled people. Payments from the Independent Living Fund are discretionary awards, not statutory benefits, and do not take precedence over the responsibility of the local authority to make an assessment of a user's needs.

Social Security Benefits: Payments

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department plans to advertise information on the routes people can take if they wish to request not to have  (a) winter fuel payment and  (b) other universal benefits paid to them; and what mechanisms exists for the voluntary return of such payments already received.

Steve Webb: We have no plans to advertise information on the way in which requests not to receive future benefit payments should be made.
	People have always been able to return their winter fuel payment, or any other benefit, if they wish to.
	If people wish to return their payment they can do so by sending it to the address on the letter that came with their payment, or to the office that pays their benefit, with a covering letter indicating whether or not they wish to receive the payment in the future.
	We ask people who want to return their payment to do so manually so that it can be dealt with securely under existing departmental financial processes and recorded against their benefit account.

Social Security Benefits: Strokes

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will commission research into the economic consequences for individuals of stroke and any subsequent effect on the benefits system.

Maria Miller: The Department has not previously commissioned, not has any current plans for, any specific research into the economic consequences for an individual of stroke. While any evidence on specific conditions is of interest, previous and current work has focused primarily on the overall economic costs of working age ill-health covering all health conditions which can affect an individual's ability to work.
	From a benefit perspective, for both employment support allowance and disability living allowance the premise is that eligibility is based not on someone's condition or impairment but rather their functional capability or the care and mobility needs associated with their disability.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to answer questions 32883, 32884, 32885 and 32886 tabled on 21 December 2010 for answer on 10 January 2011.

Maria Miller: I replied to the hon. Member's questions on 15 February 2011;  Official Report columns 679-80W.

EDUCATION

Academies

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2011,  Official Report, column 1224W, on academies, what authority will be responsible for  (a) ensuring each academy's compliance with its funding agreement,  (b) providing day-to-day advice to academies on operational matters and  (c) management of the performance of academies after 2012.

Nick Gibb: In reply to the hon. Member's previous question, the Government replied that these functions are currently the responsibility of the Young People's Learning Agency. It is the Government's intention that subject to the successful passage of the Education Bill, currently before Parliament, that a new Education Funding Agency, will be set up from 2012. The Education Funding Agency is intended to be an executive agency within the Department for Education. The Government are considering the precise split of responsibilities between the agency and the rest of the Department, including the responsibilities which the hon. Member asked about and will make decisions in due course.

Academies

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the proposal for Outwood Grange academy to run Valley and Portland secondary schools.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has received expressions of interest from Outwood Grange Academy Trust to develop plans to replace both Valley and Portland secondary schools with two sponsored academies. These expressions of interest have been approved by the Under-Secretary of State for Schools. He is writing to the hon. Member formally notifying him of this decision.

Academies: Capital Investment

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the level of capital resources committed by his Department to academies.

Nick Gibb: The capital budgets for the academies programme in 2010-11 consist of:
	a proportion of the budget of £2,241 million which Partnerships for Schools has for meeting the costs of the Building Schools for the Future programme (including academy building projects procured by local authorities under this programme, where the resources committed to academies are determined locally within the funding envelope), academy projects procured separately and the co-location programme
	a proportion of the budget of £232 million which the YPLA has for academies' devolved formula capital allocations and two other programmes to facilitate the participation of 14 to 19-year-olds in education
	a Department for Education budget for other academy building costs-£265 million.
	Academies programme budgets for 2011-12 and future years have not yet been finalised.

Better Communication Action Plan

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for implementation of the Better Communication Action Plan; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah Teather: The Government have taken forward the recommendations in 'The Better Communication Action Plan' including the appointment of a Communication Champion and the establishment of a Communications Council made up of key voluntary and community sector organisations, health and local authority services and others; a programme of research carried out through The Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal and Research (CEDAR), university of Warwick; a programme of grants to support the alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) sector; a programme from which tools and guidance have been developed to help commissioners across the country improve the way they commission services for children with speech, language and communication needs; and support for the voluntary sector led National Year of Speech, Language and Communication in 2011.
	In addition the Government have provided support for the establishment of The Michael Palin Centre in London for children who stammer and a similar centre in the north of England and funded the development of a DVD training resource for teachers.

Children: Deviance and Behaviour Disorders

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate has been made of the proportion of  (a) males and  (b) females aged 15 to 16 in each region who have been recorded as experiencing (i) emotional and (ii) behavioural difficulties in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Sarah Teather: The Department collects information on the number of pupils with statements of special educational needs (SEN), or at school action plus, by type of need. Behaviour, emotional and social difficulties are one type of need. Information on type of need is not collected for pupils at School Action.
	Information on the number and percentage of males and females aged 15 as at 31 August with behaviour, emotional and social difficulties as their primary type of need has been placed in the House Libraries. Information is provided for 2008 to 2010 by local authority.
	The latest available information on the primary need of pupils with special educational needs can be found in the 'Special Educational Needs in England' Statistical First Release-in Table 11:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000939/index.shtml

Children's Centres

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department has withdrawn any previously allocated Sure Start funding in  (a) Brighton Pavilion constituency,  (b) the Brighton and Hove area and  (c) England for (i) 2010-11 and (ii) the next four financial years.

Sarah Teather: Up to the end of the 2010-11 financial year funding for Sure Start Children's Centres has been made through the Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Grant (SSEYCG). The base allocations for Sure Start Children's Centres for the financial year 2010-11 remain as announced at the start of the 2008-11 comprehensive spending review period. For Brighton and Hove city council and England those figures are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  2010-11  Brighton and Hove  England 
			 Revenue Allocation-Children's Centres and SSLPs 5,223,876 1,135,147,893 
			 Capital Allocation-Children's Centres 539,679 100,999,997 
		
	
	The Department does not allocate funding at constituency level. It is for local authorities to determine how best to allocate available funding within their areas. The allocations for all local authorities can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/earlylearningandchildcare/a0071055/sure-start-early-years-and-childcare-grant-and-aiming-high-for-disabled-children-ahdc-grant-la-funding-allocations-for-2010-11
	Published allocations for Sure Start Children's Centres are not individually ring-fenced within the main revenue block of the SSEYCG and therefore are notional. Local authorities have the freedom to spend the available funding flexibly within that block to best meet local objectives and priorities, subject to the terms and conditions set out in the Memorandum of Grant letter.
	In addition to the capital base allocation the Department had been able to offer some carry-forward of unspent SSEYCG capital funding from prior years. Given the unprecedented fiscal deficit the Department restricted carry-forward of SSEYCG capital (which includes Sure Start Children's Centres) to cases where funding was required for the completion of the children's centres programme, or where there was evidence of a contractual commitment either with a building contractor or for goods.
	The Department's calculations of carry-forward are predicated on levels of expenditure from prior years. We are awaiting audited financial returns from a number of local authorities, at which point carry-forward for all local authorities will be finalised.
	From 1 April 2011, funding for Sure Start Children's Centres will be within the Early Intervention Grant. This is a new un-ring-fenced and un-hypothecated funding stream which will give local authorities greater flexibility to target resources strategically and intervene early to improve outcomes for children, young people and families. The Government have ensured there is enough money within the Early Intervention Grant to maintain the network of Sure Start Children's Centres, accessible to all but identifying and supporting families in greatest need. To date only the EIG funding for the financial years 2011-12 and 2012-13 has been announced and is only available by local authority-the figures for Brighton and Hove city council and all other local authorities in England are available at:
	http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/xls/e/early%20intervention%20grant%20-%20final%20allocations%20methodology.xls

Dance and Drama Awards Scheme

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the future of the Dance and Drama Awards scheme.

Nick Gibb: The Dance and Drama Award scheme will continue in 2011/12. All young people and adults currently in receipt of the Dance and Drama Awards, who started on a two or three year course prior to the academic year 2011/12, will be funded to the end of their courses. Students starting courses in September 2011 will also be able to apply for an award.
	From September 2012 onwards, support from the Department for Education to enable students to access specialist dance and drama provision will be focused on young people aged 16-19. We intend to work with the schools currently offering Dance and Drama Awards to consider how best to make such support available. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will be considering plans for supporting students aged over 19.

Departmental Local Government Finance

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much each local authority received from each  (a) revenue and  (b) capital funding stream from his Department in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; how much funding his Department allocated from each such stream in each year; and what the change was in the level of funding in each such stream between those years in (A) cash and (B) real terms.

Nick Gibb: Details of the revenue and capital grants paid by this Department to local authorities in 2010-11 and 2011-12 listed as revenue and capital spreadsheets have been placed in the House Libraries.
	From 2011-12 the Department has rationalised all their revenue funding streams to local authorities. There will now be just three national funding streams to local authorities, namely the Dedicated Schools Grant and Pupil Premium which are used to fund education services, and the Early Intervention Grant.
	The overall amount of the Dedicated Schools grant and the Pupil Premium for 2011-12 will be based on the number and characteristics of pupils in schools in January 2011. That information is provided to local authorities by schools and will not be available to the Department until June 2011 so it is not possible to do a comparison at this stage between the funding that authorities receive in 2010-11 and 2011-12. However overall funding per pupil will be maintained in cash terms and on top of this schools receive a pupil premium for the most disadvantaged pupils.
	The Early Intervention Grant (EIG) is a new grant from 1 April 2011. The grant includes funding streams previously paid by the Department of Communities and Local Government so is not comparable to the funding streams previously paid by the Department to local authorities.
	From 2011-12 the Department has also rationalised capital funding streams to local authorities. On 13 December 2010,  Official Report, columns 65-70WS, the Secretary of State announced details of allocation of over £2 billion of capital funding for 2011-12 to schools and local authorities.
	The announcement included details of allocation of:
	£800 million of basic need funding to local authorities to provide school places where needed in their area, in all categories of taxpayer-funded schools
	£858 million of maintenance capital to local authorities to support the needs of the schools that they maintain and for the Sure Start children's centres in their area
	£196 million of locally-coordinated VA programme capital to support the maintenance capital needs of voluntary-aided schools
	£185 million of devolved formula capital for schools.
	The calculation of the change between years is only possible for the capital programmes that have been announced for 2011-12.
	For the calculation of the change in real terms we have followed the Treasury's established method. The 2010-11 Devolved Schools Programmes figures have been increased by 2.5% to bring them to forecast 2011-12 prices using HM Treasury's published GDP deflators. The 2.5% deflator is derived from HM Treasury forecasts for GDP deflator increases at the June Budget Report 2010. This is not a measure of the change in construction tender prices during that period and it is not a reliable indicator of the change in local authorities' ability to procure construction works for school buildings.

Departmental Press: Subscriptions

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much  (a) his Department and  (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible spent on press cuttings services in each of the last 12 months.

Tim Loughton: Figures for the Department's spend on national and regional press cuttings services for the last 12 months are outlined in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Department  ALBs 
			 November 2009 11,293 16,608 
			 December 2009 11,069 14,912 
			 January 2010 12,355 11,327 
			 February 2010 9,266 11,109 
			 March 2010 11,905 13,570 
			 April 2010 11,173 17,143 
			 May 2010 9,066 15,531 
			 June 2010 7,517 14,507 
			 July 2010 9,548 18,062 
			 August 2010 7,260 15,252 
			 September 2010 6,773 13,712 
			 October 2010 6,297 12,534

Departmental Public Bodies

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the Young People's Learning Agency.

Nick Gibb: The Department is committed to the Government's drive to reform public bodies, improve transparency and accountability, streamline services and reduce costs. It is not yet possible to provide a specific estimate of the savings that will be achieved by closing the Young People's Learning Agency. However, the savings that do accrue will contribute to the overall departmental savings of up to £673 million anticipated over the period of the spending review.

Departmental Public Bodies

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency.

Nick Gibb: The Department is committed to the Government's ambitions to reform public bodies, improve transparency and accountability, streamline services and reduce costs. It is too soon to be specific or to provide a detailed breakdown of the savings that will be achieved by closing the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA). Across the spending review period, the savings from closing the QCDA will contribute to the overall anticipated departmental savings of up to £673 million.

Departmental Public Bodies

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy.

Sarah Teather: The cost of supporting the Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group (TPIAG) in 2010-2011 was £51,547. This included the Chair's and members' fees and expenses in connection with attending TPIAG's quarterly meetings and the cost of publications that they produced including their annual report.
	The group was set up in 2000 to monitor and advise Ministers on the previous Administration's 10-year teenage pregnancy strategy with a remit to end in 2010. The Secretary of State for Education and I agreed in June 2010 that they could continue until the end of their term in December 2010 but the group's work would not be extended beyond that point. I am satisfied that ministerial colleagues and I can access expert advice on teenage pregnancy through the Department of Health's new Sexual Health Forum.

Education: Ofsted

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education on how many occasions Ofsted has used powers under Schedule 5 to the Education Act 2005 to highlight where a school sixth form is failing or underperforming since the entering into force of the Act; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Schedule 5 of the Education Act 2005 now only applies to maintained schools in Wales due to amendments made to it by the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 (Consequential Amendments) (England and Wales) Order 2010.
	Schedule 7 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 was amended by schedule 5 of the Education Act 2005. This required that where a school was removed from special measures, but the Chief Inspector was of the opinion that the sixth form provision of the school required significant improvement, the report must state this.
	There were two occasions between 1 September 2005 and 31 March 2010 (the period when schedule 5 applied to maintained schools in England) where a school was removed from special measures and judged to be satisfactory for its overall effectiveness, where this judgment did not extend to its sixth form provision. In both cases the inspection reports stated that the sixth form provision was inadequate. One school has since closed; the sixth form provision has closed in the other school.
	Over the same period 71 schools were removed from special measures and deemed to require significant improvement, and were issued with a notice to improve. 20 of these schools had sixth form provision, five of which received an inadequate grade for their sixth form provision.

Families

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he has taken to reduce the incidence of family breakdown since his appointment.

Sarah Teather: Our programme for government made clear our commitment to putting funding for relationship support on a stable, long-term footing and making sure couples are given greater encouragement to use existing relationship support.
	The Prime Minister announced in December 2010 that the Department for Education would provide £30 million for relationship support over the spending review period. This is a significant increase on current funding levels and shows our commitment to this area of work.
	The Department invited voluntary and community sector organisations to bid for a share of this resource, successful bidders were announced on 25 February 2011 and will begin delivering services from April. The services will include: supporting the training of staff and volunteers who work with families in relationship distress; making sure relationship support is easily available to the families who need it most, including the most disadvantaged; building the evidence base so that we can develop a clear view of what works in this key area; and working with employers and others to encourage families to take up support when they need it.
	The Department is also working closely with the Ministry of Justice and Department for Work and Pensions with the aim of joining up support to separating and separated parents so they receive the help they need to work together and make post-separation arrangements that are in their children's best interests.

Family and Relationship Services

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for what reasons the contracting process for family and relationship services has been suspended; what the  (a) timescale and  (b) process is for contracting such services; and what steps he plans to take to ensure the provision of specialist parenting helplines after 1 April 2011.

Sarah Teather: The procurement process for new family and relationship online and telephone support services for parents and families in England was delayed while we considered the full implications for the family sector of the Department for Education's spending review settlement.
	I am pleased to inform the hon. Member that departmental officials contacted organisations on 25 February 2011 about the outcome of their applications to the first stage of the procurement process. At the same time, officials provided full details of the tender and a revised procurement timetable to those organisations invited to submit full bids in the second stage of the process. The process for procurement remains unchanged and is fully in line with best practice set by the EU procurement directives and Government procurement rules.
	On 25 February officials also contacted those organisations currently in receipt of telephone helpline service grants under the Department's Family Information Direct programme offering extensions of their grant funding for up to three months from 1 April 2011.
	I will write to the hon. Member to let him know the outcome of the procurement process when it is completed.

Free Schools

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on the treatment of the  (a) property and  (b) other assets of free schools in circumstances where the body which has established the school no longer wishes to operate it.

Nick Gibb: Where property and other assets owned by a free school have been acquired from public sources or using public money, or had their value enhanced by capital funding from the Department, we will ensure-through the funding agreement between the Secretary of State and the academy trust responsible for the free school-that the Secretary of State's interests are protected, and that as many of these assets as possible are made available for continuing use in the public education sector. Where this is not possible or desirable, the funding agreement will also make sure that the free school secures the maximum value from any disposal of the asset. In so far as this relates to school buildings and land, this approach accords with the legislation governing the disposal of publicly funded maintained school sites.
	The current Education Bill includes additional provisions to protect publicly funded land held by academy trusts so that such land remains available for public use or the public investment can be recouped. Any solely privately owned assets will be governed by the arrangements drawn up between the owner and the academy trust.

Free Schools

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the budget is of his Department's free schools group.

Nick Gibb: £54 million has been set aside in the financial year 2010-11 to meet the capital needs and start-up costs of free schools.

Free Schools

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department  (a) has provided and  (b) committed to provide to free school projects for which the business case has been approved; what proportion of such provision has been for (i) capital costs, (ii) project development, (iii) start-up costs and (iv) grants for insurance costs; and how much his Department spent in total on the free schools programme was in the period between 12 May 2010 and 1 March 2011.

Nick Gibb: Every free school is different and the costs will vary-between projects. Many of these costs are yet to be determined and paid, so it is not possible to provide detailed figures at this stage. Full details of the support costs of free school projects will be made available shortly after a free school opens, when a total figure is known.
	£50 million has been set aside in the financial year 2010-11 to meet the capital needs of free schools. Beyond that, provision forms part of the overall spending review settlement for schools.

Free Schools: Admissions

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations he has received on admissions policies for free schools.

Nick Gibb: Like academies, free schools will be expected to have inclusive admission arrangements. Groups proposing to set up free schools set out their proposed admissions arrangements in their business case and plan. The Secretary of State considers this information when taking a final decision on whether to enter into a funding agreement with the free school academy trust.
	Where a free school academy trust has determined the admission arrangements for the free school, any persons or bodies who have been consulted on the arrangements can object by making representations to the Secretary of State. No recent representations have been received on admissions policies for free schools.

Further Education Colleges and Schools: VAT

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has made an assessment of the effects of changes in the rate of value added tax on  (a) further education colleges and  (b) schools.

Nick Gibb: Colleges are independent providers responsible for the management of their own estates and the delivery of their own programmes and services. The Department for Business Innovation and Skills and the Skills Funding Agency do not collect information about the value added tax paid by further education colleges and have not made any assessment of how the change of rate will affect them.
	Schools also have to bear their input VAT. However, as maintained schools are regarded as part of local government for this purpose and local authorities are able to recover schools' input VAT under section 33 of the VAT Act 1994, schools are able to do likewise.

Further Education: Schools

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2011,  Official Report, column 951W, on further education: student numbers, whether it is his policy to increase the number of 14 and 15-year-olds spending part of their week studying in a further education college; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Wolf report was published on 3 March 2011 and recommended that Government should:
	"make explicit the legal right of colleges to enrol students under 16 and ensure that funding procedures make this practically possible. Colleges enrolling students in this age group should be required to offer them a full KS4 programme, either alone or in collaboration with schools, and be subject to the same performance monitoring regime (including performance indicators) as schools."
	We intend to publish a Government response to the review shortly.

GCSE

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has plans to set a GCSE floor target for secondary schools for  (a) 2012,  (b) 2015 and  (c) 2020; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Schools White Paper; "The Importance of Teaching" published in November 2010 set out floor standards against which the performance of primary and secondary schools would be judged. The White Paper also made clear that, given our expectation that school performance will improve year on year, we intend in future to make the secondary standard more demanding by continuing to raise the level of the floor standard over time. As the current floor standards have just been introduced, no specific plans or time scales for any changes have yet been agreed.

Literacy: Teaching Methods

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department made of the evidence cited in footnote 32, paragraph 2.20 of the Schools White Paper, The Importance of Teaching, on the teaching of systematic synthetic phonics; and whether officials of his Department have discussed the research findings cited with the authors.

Nick Gibb: Officials have assessed the research findings referred to in footnote 32 to paragraph 2.20 of the White Paper 'The Importance of Teaching' but have not discussed these findings with the authors.

Literacy: Teaching Methods

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the proposed Year 1 phonics screening test.

Nick Gibb: We intend to pilot the Year 1 phonics screening check in approximately 300 schools this June. The cost of the pilot is currently estimated at £250,000 excluding the cost of print and distribution, and monitoring and evaluation, where procurement is not yet complete. We will publish further information on the funding of the pilot once procurement is complete and detailed costs are finalised.
	We will continue to gather evidence and take advice from schools about the check during the pilot stage before finalising the arrangements, and confirming the costs, for the introduction of the check as a statutory assessment in 2012.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when his Department plans to respond to the letters from the hon. Member for Walsall North of 17 and 25 November and 12 December 2010, on the abolition of education maintenance allowance.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 20 January 2011
	A single response to the letters to the Secretary of State of 17 and 25 November 2010, signed by Lord Hill, was sent to the hon. Member on 25 January 2011. The Department has no record of receipt of a letter from the hon. Member dated 12 December 2010, but will be happy to reply if he wishes to send the letter again.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Marcus Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much additional funding for schools in Nuneaton constituency he expects to be provided through the proposed pupil premium.

Nick Gibb: The pupil premium for 2011-12 will be allocated to local authorities and schools with pupils that are known to be eligible for free school meals (FSM) as recorded on the January 2011 School Census, Pupil Referral Unit Census and Alternative Provision Census. Each pupil known to be eligible for free school meals will attract £430 of funding which will go to the school or academy via the local authority or YPLA if the pupil is in a mainstream setting or will be managed by the responsible local authority if the pupil is in a non-mainstream setting.
	Local authorities will also attract the looked after child pupil premium for 2011-12 which will be allocated to local authorities for pupils who at some point in the year to 31 March 2010 were looked after continuously for at least six months, and who were aged four to 15 on 31 August 2009 as recorded on the April 2010 local authority return. Each pupil will attract £430 of funding which will go to the responsible local authority who will pass it to maintained schools for pupils who have been in care for six months or more in the year to 31 March 2011.
	The January 2010 school censuses allow an estimate of the number of pupils known to be eligible for FSM to be made. In the Nuneaton constituency in January 2010 there were 2,031 pupils known to be eligible, which would give rise to a pupil premium of £873,330. In addition to this there were 17 pupils known to be eligible for the service child premium, paid at a lower rate of £200 per pupil, which would give rise to a further £3,400. However, these are estimates only and are not necessarily indicative of how the pupil premium will be distributed. It is not possible to determine the number of parliamentary constituency pupils recorded on the Alternative Provision census or recorded as looked after as they are both local authority, rather than establishment level, returns.
	Tables that contain these estimates, disaggregated by local authority, region and constituency can be found in the House Libraries.

Schools

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of schools in each region are participating in his Department's extended schools programme.

Sarah Teather: The Department does not collect data on the number or proportion of schools in each region that are offering extended services.

Schools: Finance

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will align the publication of information about the budgets of maintained schools and academy schools.

Nick Gibb: Maintained schools spending data is based on consistent financial reporting (CFR) data submitted by schools to the Department. This information was published on 12 January 2011 on the Department's website:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/b0072409/background
	Academies, including schools which have recently converted to academy status, are not required to submit CFR data. However, they are required to publish financial information in other formats.
	The Department for Education is considering whether there should be changes to the way in which academies report financial information, taking account of the current reporting requirements for maintained schools and the wider transparency agenda across Government, while at the same time considering the need not to impose unnecessary burdens on academies.

Schools: Sports

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the average amount of time spent by  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school children on organised sport or physical activity in each year from 2005 to 2009.

Tim Loughton: This information is not collected in the format requested. However, the annual PE and sport survey collected data on the percentage of pupils taking part in at least two hours of high quality PE and sport each week, as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage of 5 to 16-year-olds taking part in at least two hours high quality PE and sport each week 
			   Percentage 
			 2004/05 69 
			 2005/06 80 
			 2006/07 86 
			 2007/08 90 
		
	
	In 2008/09 and 2009/10, the survey collected data on the percentage of pupils taking part in at least three hours high quality PE and sport each week, as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage of 5 to 16-year-olds taking part in at least three hours high quality PE and sport each week 
			   Percentage 
			 2008/09 51 
			 2009/10 57 
		
	
	While this shows an increase on the amount of time pupils have spent doing PE and sport, the proportion of pupils doing competitive sport regularly has remained disappointingly low. Only around two in every five pupils (39%) play competitive sport regularly within their own school, and only around one in five (21%) plays competitive sport regularly against other schools.

Teachers: Qualifications

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proposals he has for the  (a) requirements of and  (b) standards to be met by teachers in (i) free schools and (ii) academies.

Nick Gibb: The Schools White Paper, 'The Importance of Teaching', set out our commitment to raising the prestige and esteem of the teaching profession and driving up standards across the board. An independent review of teaching standards is currently under way to establish clear and unequivocal standards which all schools can use to promote the highest quality of teaching in all classrooms
	Academies are required, through their funding agreement, to employ teachers who hold Qualified Teacher Status or are otherwise eligible to do specified work under the Education Regulations 2003 and will therefore be subject to the outcomes of the review.
	Innovation and diversity are at the heart of free school policy and in this spirit we will not be setting overly prescriptive requirements in relation to qualifications of staff. But proposers will have to make clear how teaching standards will be maintained in their applications. We expect, however, that free schools will find the revised standards a helpful tool for performance management and staff development and will be free to adopt them if they wish.

Teachers: Training

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations he has received on the provision of financial incentives for teacher training in shortage subjects.

Nick Gibb: As announced in the Schools White Paper 2010-The Importance of Teaching, the Department will shortly publish a discussion document on the funding of initial teacher training, including financial incentives for trainees in priority subjects, from academic year 2012/13. The document will provide the opportunity for those who have an interest in, or are directly involved with, the training of teachers to provide comments on our proposals.
	In the meantime, we hold regular discussions with key representatives of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) community and other subject associations which help inform policy development. The Secretary of State for Education wrote to the Training and Development Agency for Schools on 31 January 2011 with details of the training bursary arrangements for graduates who will undertake initial teacher training in academic year 2011/12. Raising the number of specialist science, mathematics and modern language teachers in schools is a high priority for the Government and we have confirmed that trainees in all of these subjects will be offered bursaries at the same levels as 2010/11.

Third Sector

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department and its predecessors have provided to each charity it funds in each of the last five years; and how much he has allocated for funding to each such charity in each of the next five years.

Tim Loughton: The Department does not monitor the amount we provide to charities, and to find this information from historical records could be achieved only at disproportionate cost. However, individual payments over £25,000 made by the Department since 1 April 2010 are available for public scrutiny at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/departmentalinformation/transparency/b0065427/departmental-and-alb-spend-over-25000/
	The Department does not budget at a level of detail that enables us to forecast the amount to be paid to charities.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to answer question 35419, on public appointments, tabled on 18 January 2011.

Tim Loughton: A response to the hon. Member's question was issued on 29 March 2011,  Official Report, column 288W.

Young People: Local Government Finance

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the outcome of the spending review on local authority funding for children and young people's services.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 25 October 2010
	Details of the funding made available to local authorities for children and young people's services were announced on 13 December 2010 as part of the local government finance settlement; and were laid before Parliament by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government as a statutory report relating to Local Government Finance in England 2011-12 on 31 January 2011. The settlement confirmed the protection for schools and services for vulnerable children as announced in the comprehensive spending review.

Youth Services: Finance

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what Sefton Council's Early Intervention Grant Allocation was in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11; and what provision for early intervention has been made in the local government settlement for Sefton Council for 2011-12.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 7 February 2011
	 The new Early Intervention Grant (EIG) brings together funding for universal as well as specialist services in recognition that both have an important role to play in identifying and supporting families who need extra help before problems escalate, and helping them get more intensive support if needed. It-will be introduced from 2011-12 and will be un-ring-fenced. The EIG rationalises a range of centrally directed programmes to ensure local authorities have greater flexibility and freedom.
	Although there were centrally directed predecessor grants to the Early Intervention Grant, there was no direct equivalent of the Early Intervention Grant in 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11.
	Sefton's indicative allocation under the Early Intervention Grant in 2011-12 is £11.3 million.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Crown Prosecution Service

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney-General how many pre-charge decisions the Crown Prosecution Service has made in 2010-11 to date.

Dominic Grieve: Between the period of 1 April 2010 and 28 February 2011, the Crown Prosecution Service has made 430,172 pre-charge decisions.

Crown Prosecution Service

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney-General how many cases in  (a) magistrates courts and  (b) Crown Courts the Crown Prosecution Service has presented in 2010-11 to date; and what proportion did not result in a conviction.

Dominic Grieve: Between the period 1 April 2010 and 28 February 2011, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecuted 767,018 cases in magistrates courts, of which 103,748 (13.5%) did not result in a conviction. In the Crown Court, the CPS prosecuted 106,777 defendant cases, of which 21,740 (20.4%) did not result in a conviction.

Domestic Violence: Prosecutions

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions there have been for cases involving allegations of  (a) domestic violence,  (b) rape and  (c) other sexual offences in 2010-11 to date; and what proportion of such cases have resulted in a conviction.

Dominic Grieve: The Ministry of Justice is responsible for compiling the official crime statistics. Data for the period 2010-11 to date are not yet available. However, according to administrative data held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the number of prosecutions finalised between 1 April 2010 and 28 February 2011, and the proportion resulting in convictions are as follows:
	
		
			  CPS-domestic violence prosecutions 
			   Convictions  
			   Number  Percentage  Total prosecutions 
			 1 April 2010 to 28 February 2011 53,738 72.0 74,679 
		
	
	
		
			  Crown Prosecution Service-rape prosecutions 
			   Convictions  
			   Number  Percentage  Total prosecutions 
			 1 April 2010 to 28 February 2011 2,212 58.3 3,794 
		
	
	
		
			  Crown Prosecution Service-sexual offences excluding rape prosecutions 
			   Convictions  
			   Number  Percentage  Total prosecutions 
			 1 April 2010 to 28 February 2011 6,000 74.4 8,069 
		
	
	While every effort is made to ensure that recorded data are complete and reliable, figures are subject to possible errors in data entry and processing, as with every large scale recording system.
	Where a defendant charged with rape is recorded as having been convicted, this may include a conviction for a charge other than rape, including a lesser charge.

Magistrates' Courts: Convictions

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney-General what proportion of cases presented in magistrates courts by the Crown Prosecution Service  (a) resulted in a conviction and  (b) have been discontinued in 2010-11 to date.

Dominic Grieve: Between the period 1 April 2010 and 28 February 2011, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecuted 767,018 cases in magistrates courts, of which 663,270 (86.5%) resulted in a conviction. Of the 103,748 unsuccessful outcomes, 29,707 cases were discontinued equating to 3.9% of total prosecutions in the magistrates court.